The Demon King of the Void
by sephiroth12285
Summary: After an incident causes Arata's magic to rage out of control Lelouch and Hijiri must work to not only protect their friend, but they must face enemies on different sides with the fate of not only their friend but the world at stake. Lelouch must understand and learn about his own unique potential to break the chains of fate that bind them. Lelouch/Hijiri/Harem and Arata/harem
1. Chapter 1 Magic always has a price

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass and Trinity Seven; otherwise I wouldn't be doing fanfiction XD.

Special Thanks to AnubisGundam0 for editing/proofreading the story and for helping me develop it.

Summary: After an incident causes Arata's magic to rage out of control Lelouch and Hijiri must work to not only protect their friend, but they must face enemies on different sides with the fate of not only their friend but the world at stake. Lelouch must understand and learn about his own unique potential to break the chains of fate that bind them. Lelouch/Hijiri/Harem and Arata/harem

A/N: This idea has been on the backburner for awhile, but what delayed it was trying to work out Lelouch's type and style of magic while trying to keep him as true to his character as possible. Of course, besides that working out a plot and Arata's role in it as well since they are both going to be the main characters of this story.

Pairings so far shall be in order of character between Arata, Lelouch, and Suzaku.

Lelouch: Hijiri (curoisty poll up now to decide others)

Arata: (will see who meshes well with him and chose based on interactions)

Suzaku and Euphy

Arata and Lelouch will have their own harems, and like my other crossovers, I intend for them to have a mix of CG and Trinity characters since there is no reason for solely Lelouch to get a mixed harem.

Let's not forget that Lelouch due his character and history would not be the type actively seeking a harem or wanting one, so that is something I am taking into account when building the harem. The harems won't be built up right away, but gradually throughout the story. I have already decided on candidates for Lelouch beyond the four mentioned, and I am going to wait and see how the rest of the story goes and find who might be best in helping Lelouch be a little more "open" to the idea of a harem if that makes sense.

Anyway enough with that and I'll save everything else until the end of the chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Magic has a price**

"Now let's try again, Lelouch," a young sixteen-year-old girl began.

She observed a young man of the same age standing in the heart of a glowing circle of magic consisting of a star and magical runes along the edges of the ring with two snakes eating the other's tail making up the border of the magic circle.

The slender young woman had short blue hair and a single ahoge on top of her head and fair skin, but sometimes she seemed slightly pale with gold eyes. The girl was dressed in a white long-sleeved sailor fuku, a red ribbon tie, a black pleated skirt, black dress socks and brown penny loafers.

The young man she was overseeing; Lelouch wore a short-sleeve white collar shirt with the top two buttons undone. Though they were the same age, she was Japanese while Lelouch was Britannian having been exiled and abandoned in the country that had been renamed Area 11 after Japan lost the war with Britannia six years ago. He had black hair, a fair skin complexion with amethyst eyes; although he was tall for his age, he had a thin and lanky frame.

The magic circle he was standing in glowed with a dark purple light before a creature began to take shape before Lelouch.

Lelouch closed his eyes briefly just as crack-like markings on his cheeks began to appear, but upon opening his eyes, they had changed to blood red his pupils became long vertical slits. Then from his back, a black small demonic-like wing sprouted from his shoulder blade as his attire changed to him wearing a black suit of armor with metallic claw-like hands that matched the color of the armor with greaves to match worn over a black tunic with tassels. Lastly, he also materialized a black cape that with wide and large collar.

Hijiri Kasuga watched with a mixture of concern and awe on her face, although typically whenever a Magus assumed such a form, it was a sign that Lelouch was a Magic King candidate. Yet shockingly, he wasn't one, despite having checked many times to be sure, but there was no denying the powers Lelouch possessed were eerily similar yet different at the same time. Hijiri remembered the first time she had met Lelouch, but that was before discovering not only was Lelouch, a magus, he possessed a unique power, unlike anything she had ever seen or heard of.

* * *

It had been six years ago, roughly a month before Japan was invaded by the Holy Britannian Empire after an attempt to impose economic pressure on the superpower failed, resulting in rising tensions between the two that ended with war breaking out between the two countries. Of course, as tensions flared between the two sides, anti-Britannian sentiments surged though Japan. This led to the Britannians residing in Japan to suffer the blunt of it.

Lelouch was no exception as being attacked by the local Japanese children was routine by this point for the unfortunate young ten-year-old child. Every time he tried going to the local store to pick up groceries for himself and his sister, not trusting their caretakers and Lelouch desired to be self-sufficient, he would be ambushed by the local children. It had lessened when the son of Japan's last prime minister had begun intervening to stop the children from attacking him, which led to the young man to accompany Lelouch on occasion.

On this day he didn't have Suzaku Kururugi to drive the local children away from him, but it seemed fortune smiled on him.

A young ten-year-old boy accompanied by a young Hijiri intervened on his behalf, although the boys nearly attacked Arata he stopped them long enough for a familiar young man wearing a white wraparound jacket with blue hakama arrived on the scene to chase the hostile children off. He had green eyes with brown hair and a fair skin complexion.

"Thanks for helping him," Suzaku Kururugi said before turning an annoyed glance at a beaten Lelouch as he was kneeling on the ground trying to protect the food he had bought using his body as a shield. "Damn it, Lelouch, why do you have to be so stubborn? Didn't I tell you I would go with you so the local kids wouldn't attack you again!?"

Lelouch picked himself up without a word, but Hijiri hurried to help him up as a kind gesture.

"You don't have to help me."

"It would be impolite if I stood around."

"So who is he?"

Lelouch cast a glance at another ten-year-old boy who seemed more laid-back and easy-going when compared to Suzaku. He possesses black hair and red eyes wearing the standard black school uniform.

"My name is Arata Kasuga."

* * *

Returning to the present Lelouch focused on using his magic to animate his own shadow before providing a physical form for his shadow. Their work was taking place in the underground waterworks below a private school located in the middle of the Tokyo Settlement where Lelouch and his sister have been living since the war ended. Although he lost contact with Suzaku, he didn't lose contact with Hijiri who managed to continue teaching him magic whenever the two had a chance to spend time together.

Even though he was very gifted and possessed great magical power, Lelouch was physically weak, so close quarters combat or being involved on the battlefield would be dangerous for him unless he had someone who could fight his enemies in his place while he remained hidden. The magic was based upon the archives, named after the seven deadly sins, where Lelouch had chosen the archive opposite of him and thus the easiest for him to learn.

The young man had chosen the archive of Luxuria (Lust), which was based around the magic related to life and souls. Lelouch's primary Thema of the Luxuria archive that he had chosen to master was Vanitas, (Nothingness) the Thema symbolized darkness and nothingness, able to consume and return all of creation to nothing. Yet for the last six years with Hijiri's help, Lelouch had delved further into the Luxuria archive since no Magus was limited to a single Thema.

Of course, Hijiri alone couldn't help him advance this far in his study of magic as he had another unexpected partner and something that was essential for every magus.

"Yes child," an otherworldly voice said encouraging Lelouch, "Strengthen the bindings that give it form and infuse your will to make it an extension of you."

Hidden behind the cape, he wore a black leather tome with silver and gold arcane runes inscribed upon the cover with a gold chain tied around it was used to keep the small tome-style pocketbook in place. Although Lelouch could use magic to increase its size, his Grimoire was an ancient magical Grimoire which Hijiri was shocked to discover was in Lelouch's possession. It was a keepsake from his mother, taking it into his possession after her demise as a keepsake. He didn't understand why it was important to her, but after discovering his talent and magic, Lelouch understood its importance.

Yet it had raised some questions, which only furthered the mystery behind her death.

With a smile of satisfaction, Lelouch had finished as the complete spiritual construct stood before him with a black spiky mask upon his head while dressed in a two-piece purple and gold trim Victorian suit with a white cravat, black leather gloves while wearing a black cape with a red interior and a large collar on the back. As an intended cosmetic design Lelouch had given his shadow puppet a muscular and tall build to help obscure his identity.

"Finally," Lelouch remarked with a smile.

"After a year of work, it's finished," Hijiri commented as she approached the shadowy doppelganger Lelouch had crafted using a combination of magic from the Terminus and Abies to fashion together a spiritual entity that Lelouch could control and use as a puppet to stand in for him during dangerous situations allowing him to avoid direct combat.

For his doppelganger to be autonomous without Lelouch needing to focus all of his attention on controlling it. Lelouch melded the souls of soldiers and samurai into the doppelganger infusing their skills and combat experience into it to create a highly skilled killing machine if Lelouch wasn't controlling it entirely using it as his eyes, ears, and voice if he need be. This would give him more tactical options to consider in a combat situation. Being that it's his doppelganger, he can channel his own magic through it to provide it with weapons to use thanks to using his own shadow as its base, because of this when it's inactive it would sink into Lelouch's shadow until he calls it.

"Yes and now I can work on materializing a Knightmare Frame," the young man remarked without hiding the pride in his voice.

Trying to create a spirit like his doppelganger wasn't easy as it had taken a year to not only perfect the bindings needed to hold it together but constructing it was another challenge. Lelouch knew from his studies with Hijiri that there was magic capable of nullifying magic, so he tried to design his doppelganger to prevent the magic that held it together and gave it life from crumbling too easily. Still, there was no denying that the fact he created such a creature he could call and command as an extension of his own will was an awe-inspiring feat and a testament to his talent as a magus.

"Well don't push yourself too hard Lelouch," Hijiri cautioned as there was usually the danger that a Magus could lose control of his or her magic and end up becoming a monster which had befallen some magus who had pushed their research and development of their magic too far. "That reminds me, there have been some monsters appearing in Osaka, so I was wondering if you could help me dispatch them, give your new creation a test run."

"Alright and that's a good idea." Lelouch agreed although he had no problem helping Hijiri when she asked since she had done much for him by teaching him magic.

Of course, as she had pointed out, it would be an excellent opportunity for him to put his creation through its paces to evaluate its combat effectiveness.

* * *

After his creation merged with his shadow, Lelouch and Hijiri were riding the train together heading to Osaka, although technically school was still in session Lelouch didn't care much for his studies at Ashford Academy. It was because Lelouch found it trivial and not to mention his considerable intellect made his classes easily taken care of even if he missed a few of them. For Hijiri on the other hand, one of her Grimoires, the Ilias Fragment, was sentient like Lelouch's own Grimoire yet it could also impersonate Hijiri when needed to take her place without anyone aware of the fact she was out of town.

The two shared a compartment inside of the train cars as the train speed along the rails heading for Osaka as the two began conversing with one another.

"Have there been any changes with Arata?" Lelouch inquired taking a sip of tea from a cup on the table between him and Hijiri.

"Nothing that I have noticed, but I guess that has made the headmaster of Royal Liber Academy nervous," Hijiri explained with a sigh because little did Arata realize she was tasked by the magical academy her parents attended to monitor her own cousin Arata when it was discovered that he was a Magic King Candidate.

Until Lelouch had discovered, he was capable of magic he knew nothing of this until Hijiri told him everything.

Unknown to the public at large, magic was real in their world, but it was kept secret. However there was unusual phenomenon or incidents that were beyond the understanding and comprehension of ordinary people, so mages are usually hired by governments such as Britannia, the Chinese Federation and others to investigate these incidents and to resolve them. Magus for the most part train and further their magical studies by researching the magic and Thema they have dedicated their lives to studying, so to support their research efforts and to provide a place to learn how to use their magic, certain schools were created that were funded by the world's governments.

As far as Hijiri was aware of, there were three, known collectively as the Three Great Magic Academies, and they were the; Royal Liber Academy, Royal Biblia Academy and the Royal Akasha Academy in addition to an unknown fourth.

The academies are supported by the governments worldwide, which will lead them to request for assistance in matters that were well beyond their means to handle, such as mysterious phenomenon or dispatching of demons; magus who had been overwhelmed by their magic becoming monsters. Magus was also prohibited from taking part in local affairs of the world's governments, which was also put into place because the most powerful Magus was given the title of Paladin-class and if two Magus of the same class were to fight such a battle would bring untold devastation to the world. Lelouch was skeptical of such a claim, but after seeing what Hijiri was capable of along with his own magic, he was willing to keep an open mind to the possibility.

"Have there been any other parties who might've noticed that Arata is a Magic King Candidate?"

"There have been none so far, or at least as far as I know."

Lelouch realized something after some careful thought, "You do not think the increasing number of demons in Osaka could be tied to Arata somehow?"

Hijiri was hesitant to answer, but she relented. "Maybe, but I hope I am wrong."

"I see," Lelouch said beginning to grow concerned about the situation clearly developing in Osaka, although he had considered staying in Osaka instead at times to make it easier for Hijiri to visit him for his magic lessons. Lelouch knew it was for the best that he lived in Tokyo instead where Nunnally would be safe especially should Arata's slumbering magical power go out of control because he was a Magic King Candidate.

Magic King Candidates, or sometimes called Demon Lord Candidates, are powerful mages who are typically male as most magi are usually female, but some males who have become magi exist. According to legends and research conducted upon them if a human becomes a Magic King, then they would possess the power to destroy the entire world. It was even more dangerous for a Magic King Candidate to be raised as an average human such as Arata because when their magic awakens there is a genuine danger of it going out of control.

Lelouch had questioned the reason as to why Arata simply wasn't taken in by Hijiri's academy, but apparently, he was still a dangerous risk because of his potential to lay waste to the entire world.

It was for this reason that Hijiri had been secretly teaching Lelouch magic especially after recognizing that Lelouch's magic and potential as a magus were similar to that of a Magic King Candidate but different in a way that couldn't be explained.

This was evident when Lelouch awoke his magic during the war six years ago.

* * *

The two arrived in Osaka with an hour before Arata's class would be over for the day giving the duo some time to investigate the city before Arata was out of class. Once they left the train station, Lelouch stood with Hijiri as she began concentrating on tapping into the various runes she had established around the city.

Hijiri's own magic was from the Ira (Wrath) Archive, and she specialized in the Thema Ruina, Partum, and Analysis. Her magic primary focused around Chaotic Runes that she could use for a variety of different purposes including offensive and defensive purposes. One of these purposes was that Hijiri had created a number of her own runes and spread them out through the entire city to monitor the city for any signs of magical activity, but right now she was activating them all at once to conduct a clean sweep through the entire city. Her runes were based on Norse Runes, which could be very destructive if used offensively and yet she could use her magic to augment her physical abilities, use her runes to jump to high places and even hide from ordinary people.

"I detected a disturbance at the park," Hijiri said after she finished her search.

"Right, let's go," Lelouch said before he and Hijiri rented a scooter to reach the park quickly. Hijiri could travel there just as fast. However, Lelouch wasn't capable of that due to his lack of physical ability.

As the two sped off, they were unaware of the fact that a young woman with green hair and yellow eyes possessing a doll-like complexion was following them.

The duo wasted no time making their way to the park, but along the way as Lelouch – he was driving the scooter while Hijiri sat behind him with her arms around his waist – was trying to take the most direct route to the park. As the young man cut through alleyways while Hijiri used her magic to render them invisible to avoid interference from local law enforcement the two began talking as Lelouch had something on his mind.

"Hijiri, there hasn't been just demons sighted in this town that has you worried, Arata's magic is beginning to awaken," Lelouch said prompting Hijiri to look at Lelouch as he peeked over his shoulder at him before turning his eyes back to the road.

"At first I found the number of demons was increasing, but then," Hijiri admitted after some reluctance. However, she hesitated again before answering, "but then rumors being passed around said that people saw black figures before vanishing."

Lelouch face turned grim, "So the situation could be worse then."

"Yes, but I pray I am wrong."

 _I fear that you will be wrong._ Lelouch thought, but for Hijiri's sake, he hoped she was right.

The duo arrived in the park, and although school had gotten out for most by now, they found the lush and green park filled with trees and large grassy fields with various playground equipment wholly deserted. The rest of the city after disembarking from the train was so busy and full of people, but here it was completely devoid of life causing a chill to travel up Lelouch's spine fearing that he was going to be right about the situation.

Of course, he had good reason in hoping he would be wrong, especially if Arata had awakened as a Magic King Candidate then the dangerous implications of that meant the end of the world could be upon them if they didn't do something.

"I am having trouble sensing anyone," Hijiri said although she and Lelouch had a good feeling what became of them.

Suddenly in the corner of Lelouch's eye, he spotted a young woman with blonde hair beginning to run towards them dressed in civilian attire.

"Help me!" The woman cried out with tears in her eyes, "My son is gone, someone, please HELP ME!"

Before Hijiri and Lelouch could react, they watched the woman disintegrate into black particles vanishing from view as if she was never there.

Neither said a word for over a minute until Hijiri broke the silence.

"We need to find Arata now."

Mounting the scooter once more Lelouch drove it while following Hijiri's directions as she was trying to communicate with her Grimoire; the Ilias Fragment, using her runes spread across the city she was homing in on Arata and her Grimoires location. Along the way, they saw more of the city's inhabitants beginning to disintegrate into black particles.

"Those people don't possess magic, so they are vanishing first," Lelouch said based on the fact he and Hijiri were unharmed so far.

"Yes," a female voice from the second Grimoire that Hijiri own said in agreement. "However it's only a matter of time before Hijiri will vanish despite the protection I am providing."

"Why," Lelouch asked of the Astil Manuscript as it hung around Hijiri's right wrist in its small compact tome form that Hijiri had nicknamed Sora, "Why would she vanish?"

"It's because of the archive of magic she has chosen, and there is her relationship to Arata as well, but my protection spell should help her for a time."

Suddenly Hijiri felt a sharp pain shoot through her, although she hadn't been harmed, she felt it through the connection she shared with the Ilias Fragment.

Without warning, Hijiri took off as she leaped from the scooter using her magic to not only enhance her abilities but as create platforms to jump from one rune to another to further boost her speed until she left the scooter behind.

"DAMN IT!" Lelouch snapped, before materializing his own Grimoire, "Merlin!"

Merlin was the nickname Lelouch had given to the Grimorum Arcanorum he owned.

"Will I have to worry about vanishing?"

"No," Merlin answered before chuckling, "In fact, I don't need to worry about protection for you. You are immune to what is causing these mortals to disintegrate."

"What?" Lelouch said confused by his sudden immunity to the breakdown phenomenon that was causing the people around him to be broken down into black particles. He wanted to inquire further about the nature of his immunity, but he didn't have time for it. "Connect to the Luxuria archive, execute Thema; Vanitas!"

In that instant, Lelouch's appearance changed as his school uniform was exchanged for a two-piece Victorian bodysuit with gold trim, heeled boots that were part of the second half of the stylish bodysuit with long black gloves covering his hands. A white cravat was formed as was a black cloak with a red interior and a spiky black mask covered Lelouch's body.

"Merlin track down Hijiri and Arata and feed the information into my mask," Lelouch commanded as he pressed one hand against the side of the scooter before using his magic.

Specifically, Outer Alchemy, to instantaneously dismantle the bike before using equivalent exchange to reconstruct it into a small machine with two long mechanical legs and a crude cockpit where Lelouch sat, but the controls for his new machine were replaced with two levels on the sides of his seat which he used to control it.

Despite losing its wheels, the mini-Knightmare Frame Lelouch had created was running at a faster speed than the scooter was as it hurried down the road. Furthermore thanks to the inhabitants vanishing from the city all around him, it made tracking down Arata and Hijiri much easier, but Lelouch had to hope he could make it in time.

* * *

At that moment, it had been unnoticed earlier, but a black sun had appeared over the skies of Osaka causing the devastation to begin rapidly accelerating, and this was more apparent at ground zero where the source of the destructive phenomenon taking place could be felt.

Arata Kasuga was sitting on the ground with his back against a broken piece of concrete. The concrete slab used to be part of a highway bridge that had collapsed before he and Hijiri who had mysteriously vanished when he blacked out could pass under it, but now he was all alone, and the whole world around him was coming apart at the steams in more ways than one. The area around the sixteen-year-old had been reduced to ruins with the highway collapsed, and nearby buildings had begun to wear away rapidly looking as if they had been abandoned and left to the mercy of time for over a hundred years.

Some of the buildings began to crumble from the accelerated rate of disrepair and decay.

Hijiri had managed to arrive and found Arata lying next to the ruins of the highway bridge, but there was no side of her Grimoire she had assigned to follow him while assuming her identity. With no time to search for her missing Grimoire, the young girl turned her attention to Arata who was beginning to regain consciousness after passing out when his magical power awoke overwhelming the young man.

"H-Hijiri!"

Arata was dressed in a black school uniform with pants and an open jacket revealing the red shirt he wore underneath along with the white sneakers he wore.

"Arata, take this!" Hijiri said passing her Astil Manuscript, despite Sora's protests.

"Hijiri don't do this, because without me you'll…"

Hijiri interrupted up Sora and gave her Grimoire a request, "Please save Arata and grant him his wish!"

"HEY," Arata shouted feeling both confused and very confused at Hijiri's panicked and worried tone, "Who are you talking to and what is going on here Hijiri!?"

"Even when I am gone, please wake up every morning on time," Hijiri said ignoring Arata's demands, "please be sure to eat three square meals a day. Hang your clothes after you wash them every three days, or they'll get wrinkly. Of course, don't forget to clean regularly every three days otherwise everything will get filthy!"

At that moment Hijiri began disintegrating into particles of light beginning at her feet before working its way up.

"Please don't forget about me," Hijiri said with tears in her eyes as the disintegration moved up above her waist.

"HIJIRI!" Arata cried out, but there was nothing he could do…but…

"YOU IDIOT!"

A black gloved hand seized Hijiri's hand before it could vanish entirely as a stunned Arata turned to see a masked Lelouch standing there having just narrowly arrived on the scene. Despite what was happening to Hijiri a second ago the disintegration of the young woman stopped, but for any magus observing these events, it would've been something no one shouldn't have been capable of accomplishing. However Lelouch didn't care at the moment, and his rage was overwhelming his senses, but another emotion was also fueling that anger.

"I was powerless when my mother died and what would be the point of me possessing magic if I can't even use it to protect those close to me," Lelouch said with barely restrained anger.

Lelouch might've done what Hijiri did have his own sister been in danger; however, the young man knew that protecting Arata today wouldn't spare him from the judgment for his involvement in what happened today even though it was well beyond his control. "Saving Arata now and sacrificing yourself would be meaningless if anyone realizes that he was the unknowing cause of this devastation! So get back here right now!"

Lelouch said as he began pulling while trying to use whatever magic he could and do the impossible by stabilizing Hijiri's form.

He had no spell, and for all of his mastery of the Luxuria archive and four Themas, there shouldn't have been anything he could've done.

Magic, however, is irrational by nature.

Lelouch's growing anger and determination to bring back the young woman as he began pouring his magic into her hand in a desperate effort to save her, but something else was at work that Lelouch didn't know. His eyes beneath the mask began glowing red, and the black wing on his back reappeared, but this time the wing had grown twice in size. He started pulling on Hijiri's hand trying to pull the woman back, despite the act not being possible by any means. Yet as the ground began shaking Hijiri's body began to return as the process that had been disintegrating her was reserving itself before Arata's eyes who continued to watch in stunned silence.

Eventually, Hijiri's entire upper body was restored, soon followed by the rest of her, which allowed Hijiri to realize that Lelouch had arrived on the scene.

 _How,_ Hijiri wondered trying to comprehend how Lelouch was saving her, although, by all accounts that such a feat was impossible, _This shouldn't be possible!?_

Ignoring the stunned look on Hijiri's face, Lelouch succeeded in bringing Hijiri back as the rest of her had returned, and the young girl was returned to normal.

Lelouch was exhausted from the act, but Hijiri barely had the strength to stand as she stood up to face Lelouch trying to comprehend how he had saved her. Lelouch's eyes returned to normal while the wing on his back vanished, but not long afterward Hijiri passed out collapsing into Lelouch's arms as the latter managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"You…saved her!" Arata said after a long moment of silence, but his mind was having trouble trying to grasp everything that had happened. Understandably it was difficult for him since until today he had lived an ordinary life as a high school student.

"Keep her close to you otherwise she'll disappear again."

Arata and Lelouch turned their heads to the source of the voice. It belonged to a woman with waist-length green hair, a pale skin complexion with yellow eyes wearing a white T-shirt with a white jacket over it, but the T-shirt had a cartoonish character of the Cheese-kun mascot on it. She also wore blue pants with black shoes.

"Who are you?" Lelouch demanded.

"I am C.C." The young woman said as she provided her own introduction, "I am here to help you Lelouch vi Britannia, the son of Marianne."

"How do you know that?!" Lelouch snapped as Arata looked at the woman who recognized Lelouch.

"Calm down, I am not your enemy. You'll need my help since you know as well as I do that Britannia will not ignore what happened here, especially the one who indirectly caused all of this." C.C. cautioned as she turned her attention to Arata who was trying to make sense of everything that was happening. "You need to take that Hijiri girl far away from this place, and I'll look after Arata. Besides, it might be best if I am the one who tells him what had happened here today."

* * *

A/N: Well the chapter is done, and C.C. has arrived on the scene, but as Arata has awakened to his destiny of a Magic King Candidate Lelouch has "performed" a miracle by saving Hijiri before she was utterly disintegrated into particles. Of course now comes the hard part, damage control and telling Arata what had happened and how Britannia and the Magus world will react to what happened to Osaka.

I did consider making Lelouch a Magic King/Demon Lord candidate, but I thought that might be too predictable so I came up with something a tad original and given the story behind it probably wouldn't be surprising if…(omitted spoilers).

For those wondering if Lelouch will gain his Geass in this story, I am leaning towards no at this point only because with Lelouch's capabilities and magic he would be too powerful and things might be too easy for him. This would take the fun out of this story since its always fun to put the heroes of the story into challenging situations. Not to mention Lelouch can't use his magic in public or instead he can't let the general public find out about his magic, which would complicate things.

I might hold off the addition of Geass until later, or I might remove it altogether, but I do have a plan in mind if I do already.

That and to keep with Lelouch having no stamina and physical strength I made that into a weakness, especially since some mages are quite athletic and having up close and personal combat fighting styles to add a challenge.

And I am not even mentioning characters who have the means to reflect or nullify his magic too.

Choosing and picking his magic and archive wasn't easy, but me and a friend talking about it settled on the Luxuria archive, because it was ironic and it has thema that can be of use to Lelouch with some that fit him to a T.

Anyway read and review and I'll have the next chapter out soon, and we'll see who ends up with who as the story develops and the mystery into Lelouch's unique magical gifts will be revealed further into the story.


	2. Chapter 2 Breakdown

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass and Trinity Seven; otherwise I wouldn't be doing fanfiction XD.

Special Thanks to AnubisGundam0 for editing/proofreading the story and for helping me develop it.

A/N: Thanks for those reviewing the story and favorite/following it. The chapters will progressively get bigger, especially if I got a lot going down in it.

Now for those of you who reviewed I responded to your reviews via PM, but for those of who without accounts I'll respond to them here.

Zero: thanks, but I am not familiar with that particular Gundam series unless I misunderstood the name of the specific series you wrote next to it.

I will also mention that part of the reason I picked Kallen and C.C. for the harem is because of that in some of my other harem stories I had left C.C. out, so I thought I make up for it this time. Like Kallen, however, those two were in Area 11, so I could work them in more easily and Kallen being a brawler would be useful too and an excellent addition to both Lelouch's team and harem. True there were others, but it would take a lot of time to shape up events to bring those others in.

Anyway, let's get into the story.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Breakdown**

Hijiri Kasuga couldn't remember much from during the time her body was being broken down by the phenomenon her cousin had unintentionally caused, but she had begun to dream of a vision she was presented with as Hijiri started to pass to into an empty and ruined world where she was fated to fade away into nothing.

In the vision, she saw Arata, but at the same time, it wasn't Arata.

The young man she saw was identical save for the fact that his hair and skin had become white and his eyes had turned grey with cat-like pupils with crack-like marks on the right side of his cheek. He wore black armor and cape; alongside him were seven young women who were of varying ages and appearances, aside from the worrying fact they were all nude. However, one thing they all had in common was the fact that they seemed utterly devoid of thought and feeling as if any trace of free will had been stripped of them.

And around them, the entire world, whole cities, had been reduced to empty ruins devoid of life.

Then the world was reborn anew and such was the cycle that was continued by the Magic King, which was a truth that Hijiri had seen upon entering the ruined world Arata's breakdown phenomenon had banished her to.

It was a terrible truth, and the Arata she saw was nothing like the young man she had grown up with, so perhaps his body may have been used as a vessel for the Magic King destined to wipe out humanity.

 _NO!_

Hijiri cried out for Arata upon seeing the future fate had in store for him, but without realizing it she cried out again, but this time she snapped wide away before bolting upright from the bed she had been lying down in. Her mind took a moment to register that she was no longer in Osaka before realizing she was inside Lelouch's room at Ashford Academy. She had been to his room before, which was a decent side with enough room for a queen-size bed, a desk, a sofa and a place for a dresser and a table for a television.

Lelouch was sitting at the computer in front of his desk before noticing that Hijiri had finally woken up.

"You're finally awake."

"Where… how," Hijiri began as her mind was trying to catch up with everything during the time her body was being broken down into particles. "You saved me?"

"Yeah, although I don't know how I did it exactly."

"For a brief moment, you triggered a breakdown phenomenon of your own and altered reality, if only briefly," Merlin explained. "I don't know how you did it, but that is all I was able to determine. You broke the rules of the world and altered reality just enough to bring Hijiri back."

"But that's impossible," Hijiri said as such a feat was well beyond any Magus's power, or at least as far as she knew.

Then again it has been said that anything was possible with magic, but what Lelouch had done was beyond anything he should've been capable of. Or maybe he was capable of much more than he had initially thought, but the question was how much, and how was he even able to achieve such feats in the first place?

"Anyway," Lelouch said deciding to change the subject knowing they would keep going around in circles if they continued such a debate. "If you are worried about Arata, I have placed him into C.C's care, and they are in the small town of Noto located in Hōsu District of the Ishikawa Prefecture where he should be safe for now, and a safe distance from any major cities in the event he unknowingly triggers another breakdown phenomenon."

Hijiri was rather upset with that last part, "C.C, you left my cousin with a stranger?"

"I had little choice, and it's probably for the best," Lelouch said before Hijiri looked at him accusingly, "and before you think I did so just because I was worried for my sister's safety that was only one reason. Don't tell me you forgot that the headmaster of your school knows about Arata right? So, how long do you think before they figure out what caused the incident in Osaka?"

The young girl was hesitant to answer, but her hesitation was the only answer Lelouch needed as he narrowed his eyes.

"They likely know by now, and they'll likely try to contact you. And those mages from the academies will likely find Arata."

"I never told them about you Lelouch," Hijiri answered knowing Lelouch would ask her that.

"I know. That's why I brought you here." The young man said crossing his arms over his chest as this was a huge problem they had on their hands. "I did make sure that Sora was still in Arata's possession and I told Arata to contact me if trouble arises."

Hijiri was relieved to hear that Sora was still in Arata's possession so the Grimoire could provide adequate means of assistance should trouble befall him. However, Arata wasn't a mage, or at least not adequately trained as one, so his ability to use Sora was very limited unless he could determine an Archive and Thema most suited for him so he could begin his training in magic.

"Beyond that our options are limited." Lelouch said contemplating their options, although the situation was spiraling rapidly out of control beyond what he had expected, "I am glad you didn't die since your sacrifice would've been in vain even if Sora protected him. I can't exactly protect Arata from those likely hunting for him now."

"Yes… you are right," Hijiri admitted, knowing that Lelouch had a point. Even if he survived the headmaster of her academy would've sent someone to eliminate Arata, someone else might've done it, or the phenomenon he unknowingly caused would've spread further causing more devastation. "Lelouch when I was disintegrating I saw a glimpse of a ruined world on the other side."

Lelouch said nothing as he noticed the solemn expression on Hijiri's face.

"I am not sure if I was hallucinating, but I saw a vision, and it felt real," Hijiri said before she hesitantly told Lelouch about the vision she saw which showed her the real purpose of the Magic King and the mission they are meant to fulfill alongside the Trinity Seven. Lelouch silently listened as Hijiri painted a grim picture of the future she saw and what Arata's role in it would be.

Once Hijiri was done retelling the details of what she saw Lelouch was silent before asking.

"So Arata is meant to destroy the world so it can be reborn anew."

"Yes," Hijiri answered with a growing amount of barely contained anger in her voice. She got out of bed and stood up near Lelouch as she continued to lock eyes with the young man.

Much like Lelouch in many ways, the young woman cared for her cousin Arata as much as Lelouch cared for his younger sister Nunnally. Even though the context of their relationship was different, the devotion and care they held were the same, and it was something the two had bounded over. However, now faced with the terrible vision of Arata's future Hijiri understood the drive and the rage that fueled Lelouch vi Britannia's desire for revenge against the Empire and the father who abandoned him and his sister following the assassination of their mother.

Hijiri had heard the story about what had happened and the scene of the murder Lelouch saw as the image of his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, died with multiple gunshot wounds while clutching his terrified sister who had been shot in the legs crippling her for life. The resulting trauma from those events also left her blind as well.

Lelouch had tried to appeal to his father the Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, to do something about his mother's killers, who had never been apprehended or at least visit his own crippled daughter. The heated confrontation resulted in Lelouch being stripped of his title as a prince while he and Nunnally were exiled to Japan to serve little more than political barraging tools.

The former prince's opinion about the Emperor and his home country only worsened when they declared war on Japan, completely ignoring the fact that he and Nunnally were still in Japan which nearly led to them getting killed. An event Hijiri and Arata had been caught up in, but after Arata, Suzaku and Nunnally were knocked out by explosions from artillery shells and bombs going off while soldiers closed in on them. Lelouch's fury awoke the magic slumbering within him.

It was fortunate that Suzaku, Nunnally, and Arata hadn't seen what had happened, but to this day Hijiri was stunned by the display she saw. Thankfully it wasn't as destructive as when Arata's own magic awoke, but still, not a single Britannian soldier survived, and the two were quick to assure Suzaku, Arata, and Nunnally that the Japanese Military had arrived to ambush the Britannian soldiers giving them a chance to escape.

It was a blatant, necessary, lie, but thankfully neither of them sought to confirm the truth.

Ever since then, Hijiri had taken Lelouch under her wing to help him understand and master the magic he was capable of, knowing that such an act wouldn't have been looked upon well if it was ever discovered. Despite that Hijiri did so, because she had wondered what she would've done had she been in Lelouch's position and something terrible that had befallen Nunnally had befallen Arata.

Now she had her answer, with the revelation of the fate the world had forced upon him.

Lelouch stared into Hijiri's eyes as silence fell upon the two, but words at this point were hardly needed as the former Prince of Britannia recognized the look in Hijiri's eyes. Lelouch rose from his chair, standing before Hijiri.

"Until I met you Hijiri, or rather until the day you introduced me to the world of magic." Lelouch began. "I felt destined to be nothing more than an impotent corpse existing behind a false guise of life. A life in which I did nothing real meant to just mind-numbingly go through the motions of living as if I were a zombie while dying a slow death."

The young woman merely continued to stare at Lelouch in silence, allowing the former prince to continue.

"In a strange sense, I am glad for this revelation because now I can finally act because I am sick to death of a world that cannot be changed. We'll put a stop to the cycle of the Magic Kings, and at the same time we'll remake the world into something better for Nunnally and Arata." Lelouch declared with a smile that showed absolute confidence.

 _And I'll take my revenge on that man, and those who murdered my mother as_ _well_ _when the opportunity presents itself._ Lelouch mused, but preventing the end of the world was his first priority since remarking the world into something better and destroying Britannia would be rendered meaningless if Arata fulfilled his intended destiny.

Killing Arata would merely delay the end of the world at best, so that was out of the question for the time being.

"So how about it Hijiri, want to join me as my partner?" Lelouch said offering his hand to Hijiri who was more than his teacher, but a friend who had filled the void left by Suzaku, one of the few people he dropped the mask that was Lelouch Lamperouge and be Lelouch vi Britannia.

Hijiri didn't hesitate and accepted his hand signifying their established partnership.

"And you'll need her back," Lelouch said before reaching into his pocket to bring out a small tome with chains tied around it into a cross shape with a longer chain that Lelouch was holding.

"Ilia!" Hijiri said happily taking back her only Grimoire back, the Ilias Fragment.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Japan, inside a small two-story house that sat on the outskirts of Noto. C.C. was seated at a table with four open pizza boxes before her while an uncertain Arata watched her eat what was probably her fifth box of pizza.

 _How and where does she put all of that away and keep a figure like that?_ Arata wondered.

"So, how are you holding up?"

"Well," Arata began crossing his arms over his chest. "I just found out I'm not only capable of magic that awoke and raged out of control, wiping out the inhabitants of my own hometown and nearly killing Hijiri."

"Then there is the fact that you are a Magic King candidate, destined to destroy the world," C.C. said with a matter of fact tone before quickly consuming another slice of pizza.

"Yeah, I know, but it's kind of a lot to take in."

"All things considered you have been taking it surprisingly well."

"I guess so," Arata admitted, but in reality what else could he do but accept it.

Arata was usually a laid back and go-with-flow kind of guy. He wasn't like Lelouch, who was a genius, and he surely wasn't like Suzaku who was becoming a capable martial artist, but just an average teenager.

Of course, finding out he was destined to destroy the world didn't help, but there wasn't much point in wallowing about it because he was assured that Hijiri and Lelouch were going to try and help him.

He didn't like the idea of doing nothing, but it was clear C.C had other plans in mind.

"There is nothing we can do about the hand fate dealt you," C.C began looking to boost the young man's spirits, "but if you learn how to use your magic, you may at least stop yourself from causing more breakdown phenomenon."

"Ok! I am up for that… but where do we start?" Arata said feeling relieved that he wasn't just going to be sitting on his butt the entire time, but more so that learning magic would help him to prevent causing another incident which nearly caused him to lose Hijiri.

He had no desire of allowing that to happen again so he would learn magic so he wouldn't be a danger to everyone around him.

"We'll need to figure out which of the Archives is best suited to you, which is done by determining which is the most contrary to your personality." C.C. began.

"Archive?"

"Yes," The green haired woman began, "there are seven, and they are named after the seven deadly sins; Luxuria, Superbia, Acedia, Ira, Avaritia, Gula, and Invidia. Translated and the sins associated with them are Lust, Pride, Sloth, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, and Envy."

"I pick the one opposite of me, right?"

"That's correct, because magic is irrational by nature, so…"

"So… I must think contrary to how I would normally think and act to find out my Archive?"

"Correct, but you must also choose a Thema, or theme, under that Archive as your base from which you'll develop your magic and research based upon that," C.C. explained before deciding to provide an example. "Let's take your cousin Hijiri for example; her Archive is Ira."

"Wrath huh," Arata said as that was quite obvious of her personality, "for her I don't think you can get any more opposite than that."

For as long as Arata could remember, Hijiri has been a kind and poised girl ever since they were little, although she could be forceful at times, which was due in part to the fact that she had taken care of him much in the same way an older sibling would for their younger sibling.

"I hope the example helps."

"It does, although I am not sure which one is the most opposite. I can safely rule out sloth as one."

C.C. seemed to agree with his line of reasoning there.

"I understand that you are something of a pervert, so the Luxuria Archive is ruled out."

"Whoa!" Arata said, holding up his hand defensively, "look I am no peeping tom ok! I mean, sure, I find myself…"The young man was trying to choose his next words carefully, "in the wrong place at the right time. But I'm not a pervert."

A misconception surrounding Arata was that he was perverted, but in reality, he was more of a lucky pervert in the way that he tended to be accidentally caught up in perverted situations either purely by accident or as the result of the actions of someone else. He didn't actively attempt to spy on other girls, nor was he interested in doing so, but because of his go-with-the-flow personality, he would just roll with it and thank the girl in question whom he saw by accident.

Of course, this led to rumors going around that he was a pervert, and it didn't help when he had accidentally walked in on Hijiri a few times, or even groped her breasts by accident when waking up in the mornings.

"I am just thankful nothing like that happened with Nunnally around," Arata commented with a sigh of relief because he knew Lelouch long enough to know that messing with his sister in any fashion, especially a perverted manner was a bad idea. Though Lelouch couldn't do much in regards to retaliation, it was usually up to Suzaku or Hijiri to handle that. Until now that is, knowing Lelouch was capable of magic led to Arata to make a mental note to avoid angering the young man, especially not by being caught up in a perverted situation with Nunnally.

"Anyway Luxuria is out regardless since one of its Thema requires considerable intellect with an understanding of various materials to take advantage." The green haired woman said, "This might be a long night ."

* * *

The following morning Lelouch and Hijiri were having breakfast together. Thankfully Lelouch didn't have to lie, not wholly, to Nunnally and their caretaker Sayoko, because thanks to the news reports released about Osaka he told them that Hijiri needed a place to stay for the night while Arata was visiting with a friend. It was true to a certain extent, but Lelouch left out what really happened in Osaka. The news claimed the tragedy was the result of a potent corrosive chemical weapon that was being smuggled into Area 11 through Osaka.

The gas supposedly caused considerable damage to the buildings and wiped out the population. The reports claimed this was the work of an unknown terrorist group with international support, but that was still under investigation.

Lelouch could only imagine what an ordeal coming up with that cover story was, but he knew it was the only story the government could put out.

"I am sorry about what happened, but I am glad you are Arata are ok."

The thirteen-year-old girl sitting at the head of the table said. She had long waist-length sandy brown hair, a fair skin complexion with both eyes closed. She wore a simple white and green dress while sitting in her wheelchair.

"I owe your brother a lot for saving me," Hijiri admitted although she had told Nunnally a modified version of the story. Lelouch had helped Arata, and Hijiri get to safety having recognized the danger in time thanks to Lelouch's quick thinking. "Of course he helped save Arata too."

Lelouch and Hijiri didn't feel comfortable lying to Nunnally, but it was for the best in any event that the world remained blissfully unaware the world might end. Of course, there was no danger of that, as Lelouch and Hijiri didn't plan on sitting around doing nothing.

"I am just glad all of you are alright."

"School is going to be out for a week until things calm down, so I am going to help Arata and Hijiri," Lelouch said although Nunnally would be under the impression he would be helping the two find a new place to live. In reality, he and Hijiri were planning on heading to the city of Ōsaki in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.

From there, the two were going to go to Royal Biblia Academy, which was located on the coast concealed by a dimensional barrier to hide its existence and the town that surrounds it from the world. Its location was due to the ancient ruins, including the Yamahata Cave Tomb Cluster as one of the most famous landmarks in the region. Their objective was to breach the Eternal Library, located within the academy itself in the hopes of finding information that could be of help. As of now, the two didn't know where to begin as far as preventing Arata's future from coming to past.

A location that has been sealed off because it is a place filled with forgotten knowledge was a right place to start. They had nothing else to work with at the moment, so they needed information.

Of course, that would be the easy part, getting in was the problem.

 _There is something else we could obtain first to help us since there is only the two of us right now._

Lelouch was already planning a secondary objective to include in their plans; although the risk was high, the payoff was potentially worth it. This was taking into account that they wouldn't be successful in accessing the Eternal Library, or if they did they wouldn't find anything of use. Infiltrating the academy on its own was risky since according to Hijiri the academy typically had some of the academy's most formidable magus join their disciplinary committee: Grimoire Security.

Once breakfast was over, Hijiri and Lelouch made a quick pit stop at a wig shop where the pair bought some wigs to disguise their identities as a precaution, although the academies were probably alerted to keep an eye out for Hijiri it was best Lelouch kept his own identity secret as best he could. They also bought sunglasses before Lelouch rented a private shuttle to drive them out to the city in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan since using the trains might've been risky given that people would likely be looking for Hijiri.

The two traveled mostly in silence, as they agreed it would be best not to discuss their plans out in the open, but Lelouch's mind wasn't silent as he was processing his talk with C.C from the previous day.

* * *

It began after he caught Hijiri before she could hit the ground after she lost consciousness.

As he held the unconscious girl, he glared daggers at the green-haired woman.

"How do you know my name, and how did you know about Arata?"

"I've been watching you for a long time, Lelouch." The girl admitted, but Arata joined the conversation.

"What the hell is going on and what?" Arata began as his voice was initially loud, but it quieted slightly while becoming increasingly shaky as his mind was trying to grasp at everything happening around him.

"Calm down Arata," C.C said while gesturing with a free hand. "If you start panicking the power within you will rage out of control again."

"WHAT POWER!?"He demanded.

"You have unfortunately been given a terrible burden as a Magic King candidate." The green haired woman began before explaining. "Those who carry a Magic King Factor will possess considerable magical power and potential, but they are fated to meet the Trinity Seven, seven mages who have mastered their Archive with each member representing one of the seven Archives. Their destiny would be to destroy the world."

Arata was struck dumb, but as much as he wanted to deny it, the evidence was all around him, even though he didn't intend for any of this. Lelouch knew Arata had no control over his actions and having just been told you were going to be the cause for the entire world to end wasn't something he could've expected anyone to take well.

 _I can't exactly blame him._

"Arata," Lelouch said as he adjusted his arms to obtain a better hold of Hijiri, although the former prince wasn't athletic by any means he was able to at least hold up a person since Lelouch had always carried his own younger sister from her wheelchair and into her bed most nights since he was young. "There no denying you have been cursed with a terrible fate, but right now you are still you and you are in control of your own actions."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Arata said with a look of fear in his eyes, which Lelouch found understandable given that he had no understanding of the power he possessed and that uncertainty was causing an inescapable fear to take hold.

"You were always the type that, when presented with two bad choices you would create a third choice. Your choices are that you could kill yourself to escape your unfortunate fate. Or you could simply sit there and wait for it wrapped up in your fear and helplessness. Your third option can be to find a way to rule over your fate, which you can start by learning about your power and taking control of it. You can at least bring it under control, so you don't have to worry about it going wild again. The rest after that would be up to you."

Arata was silent for a few moments, but thankfully Lelouch's words helped the young man to begin to get a grip, and his personality began returning to normal.

"Nicely done Lelouch, but how will you teach him to control his magic since I doubt you would be comfortable with him being near your sister." C.C. pointed out, but Lelouch had already considered that.

"I know that, but there is the problem that the mages belonging to the school Hijiri attended were the ones who assigned her to watch over Arata, and will soon be hunting him." The young man pointed out while bringing up another obvious danger to Arata's life. "It would be best for him if he stayed somewhere remote and away from any major cities until he can get a better grip on his magic. I don't doubt other mages will also be looking for him too."

"Then I can help you." C.C. offered, "I am very well versed with magic, and since I am immune to the breakdown phenomenon I am ideally suited to watch over and instruct him."

"You expect me to trust you?" Lelouch said eyeing the green haired woman with suspicion.

"No I don't, but you don't have much choice, and you know it," C.C. said, which left Lelouch with little to question her with since he knew she was right as keeping Arata close to him would be extremely risky especially with Nunnally. "I'll take care of Arata and teach him magic as a way of proving that you can trust me."

Lelouch didn't like to concede to anyone especially a complete stranger, but he had no alternative. "Fine, but Arata will keep Sora with him. I'll find Ilia and take Hijiri back to Ashford Academy, but answer me this how do you know who I am?"

The green haired woman smiled, "because I knew your mother."

"You WHAT!?"

"I knew your mother Marianne vi Britannia, but that will be a talk for another time since it would be unwise for you to linger here much longer," C.C. said tempting the young man with information he knew he wouldn't be able to resist. As much as Lelouch wanted to question her further the logical part of his mind told him staying in the middle of a ruined city would be unwise. "You have much to attend you, and once Arata is capable of controlling his magic, we'll talk ."

* * *

It was early afternoon before the duo arrived at the town that surrounded the Royal Biblia Academy, but his conversation with C.C. the other day had been replaying in his mind over and over again. Was she lying to bait him, but if so how did she know he was the child of Marianne? Could she even know who killed her?

Lelouch had many questions, but much to his frustration they would have to wait.

Unlike some of the towns around Japan, before and after its conquest, the town surrounding the magical academy had an old world feel to it. The town used an old fashion European design for many of its buildings, including stone in their construction. One look at the town and you would almost make the mistake of believing you were in a remote town in Europe instead of Japan. According to Hijiri, the four great academies had been built upon sacred places and ancient ruins with strong ties to old magic where magic once flowed more freely in the world back then. There was one academy located in the territories of Britannia, the Chinese Federation, and the Europia United.

The two had purchased a room at the hotel with two beds, although the two should've taken their own rooms the two agreed to share the same room so they could talk and plan their next move without drawing suspicion.

"Ok, we'll examine the academy from a distance by pretending to be bird watching," Lelouch explained as he brought about some binoculars, a book on birds and a pair of hats for the two. "Since neither one of us have ever been there, we'll need to study the grounds to determine the best point of entry, and we'll find a location where tonight we'll come back and observe the academy at night to determine if they have mages patrolling the school at night."

"We can also determine the best time to enter the school once the night time curfew is in effect."

"Exactly, but you said the academies don't usually have mages patrolling the school grounds at night?"

"Not usually unless there have been disturbances in the nearby area, but it's no reason to assume they wouldn't, and we should act on the assumption that they would."

"I concur," Lelouch said in agreement. "Tomorrow we'll begin our plan and then the day after tomorrow, after night has fallen, we'll infiltrate the school and find the Eternal Library ."

* * *

As Hijiri and Lelouch continued to work out the fine details of their plan, Arata and C.C. were working to uncover the young man's choice of Archive and Thema. They ruled out Luxuria, Acedia, Ira and Avaritia as possibilities leaving Arata a little tried. They were inside the basement with Arata standing in the center of the mostly empty room save for some empty wooden shelves with a chair, which was where C.C. sat, watching Arata working to coach him.

"You know… what about the Superbia Archive," Arata suggested wiping some sweat from his head, "I can't imagine any of the rest would work if the last four didn't click for me?"

"I suppose, but its Thema are Imperium, Justitia, Velum, and Arbiter."

"What does Imperium do?"

"It's called Rule," C.C. answered prompting a smile to appear on Arata's face.

"Rule huh," The young man held up Sora, "Lelouch said I needed to take control, so how about it. I have chosen my Archive and a Thema."

"So you have decided, but will it work?" Sora asked as Arata held up the small book.

"I am positive this time I've found a winner," the young man declared boldly, "so if you like it then it will it work?"

"Sure thing, but only if I like it, so out with it already?"

"Alright, my Thema is Imperium of the Superbia Archive!"

The room was quiet and still for a moment almost causing Arata to believe he had failed somehow, but suddenly the chains surrounding Sora's tome suddenly shattered as the book opened with its pages flipping from one side to another.

C.C. merely smiled, "I guess you did finally find your Thema!"

Sora couldn't help it as she began laughing, "The true meaning of your spirit, existence, nature, and soul is none other than Imperium, master, so let's finalize our new contract."

"Contract?"

"Yes, you and your Grimoire will form a contract, and she will help you store and manage your spells so as you learn them you can cast them much faster than with any other means," C.C. explained as Sora laid out their contract.

"I, Astil Manuscript, hereby vow to contract with my master who employs the Thema of Imperium from the Superbia Archive. Now say it's our contract, Arata!"

"Right, I hereby execute my Thema associated with the Superbia Archive!"

At that moment a surge of magical power enveloped Arata's body transforming his attire until he was dressed in a black mandarin collared shirt, a matching jacket with ruffled sleeves while trimmed with gold, dark pants and matching shoes, with a white sarong.

 _As expected he has a lot of magical power._ C.C. noted internally as Magic King Candidates such as Arata possessed an abnormally high amount of magical power.

"Alright!" Arata proclaimed feeling proud.

"Well good job, but those are just your first baby steps as a mage, so don't start celebrating yet."

"You just have to be a real buzz kill don't you?" Arata replied with both hands on his waist.

"No," The green haired witch adopted a mischievous grin, "but I am going to tell you right now that the real work begins tomorrow."

* * *

The following evening Lelouch and Hijiri were exploring the grounds of the Royal Biblia Academy, which they decided to investigate more closely after spending the day observing and mapping out the grounds after devising several points from which they could enter the grounds from. Now under cover of night, they were searching the perimeter of the academy grounds looking for ways inside. At the same time, Hijiri was setting up chaos runes around the grounds to help to monitor the academy grounds and to avoid being caught off guards by the students and academy staff when they would break into the academy itself tomorrow night.

Security was seemingly non-exist, which others might've thought was fortunate, but Lelouch didn't like it as it left the former prince on edge.

It was too easy, and that alone was enough to make the former prince suspicious.

"I'm almost done," Hijiri said as she was almost done laying down another rune.

No one would find the runes she had hidden, and even if they did, they couldn't be removed easily. Not even by those with magic similar to hers.

"Is security for these magic academies usually this lax?" Lelouch whispered to Hijiri, as the young man was dressed in his Magus Mode attire complete with his mask to conceal his identity.

Lelouch was helping Hijiri by watching her back while the latter was using her runes to help hide the duo from sight, allowing them to operate more freely, but despite their efforts, Lelouch felt increasingly uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching them, but no matter what the young man couldn't determine the source.

"Each academy is run by one of the five most powerful magi; Paladin class Maguses. So only someone insane would think twice about attacking one of the four academies head on, let alone breaking in." Hijiri replied, but she didn't ignore Lelouch's concerns either.

Royal Biblia Academy was under the direction of Master Biblia, who was one of the world's five most powerful magi. He was eccentric according to rumors Hijiri had overheard about him besides the fact he was one of the world's few male mages.

"Even so, I don't like this. This has been far too easy for my comfort." Lelouch commented as he couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. "We should hurry so we can use your runes to map out the interior of the school and plan our infiltration of the academy tomorrow night."

"I agree, but we'll need to be careful." The young woman cautioned as she just finished lying down and setting up her chaotic rune, which much to the relief of the two teens was the last one they needed to set up. "If I try to do a wide sweep with my runes, their magic could be detected, so I might not have a complete read of its entire layout until tomorrow afternoon."

Lelouch let out a heavy sigh as he wanted to be done and leave the academy grounds, but as he closed his eyes to take a deep breath, he opened them to find that Hijiri was no longer next to him. In fact, he was no longer standing outside the academy hiding by a corner of the building. Lelouch discovered he was in a seemingly empty space with a surface akin to water below his feet, but everything around him was just empty space. Lelouch didn't allow fear to grip him, but he did prepare himself for a possible confrontation. He calmly analyzed the situation while he began trying to determine where he was.

Suddenly the sound of music caught his attention.

The sound of someone playing the violin drew his attention to an ornate white door that was in the middle of the empty space. Cautiously Lelouch approached the door but hesitated when he reached the door itself. He could hear the source of the music coming from inside, but Lelouch waited a full minute before slowly opening the door.

The room beyond was a bedroom with white wallpaper decorated with pink diamond patterns, white dressers and a nightstand with cute stuffed animals. There was a robust charming atmosphere within the room, but the fact that Lelouch didn't possess his Grimoire made him a little uncomfortable without the means for his magic to function correctly.

"Welcome to Yui's room!"

Lelouch's eyes fell upon the sole occupant of the room who appeared to the same age as he. Sitting on a bed playing the violin was a young woman with a very well endowed figure with a fair skin complexion. Judging by her attire, she was apparently a student of Royal Biblia Academy, wearing the traditional female student uniform consisting of a white collared shirt worn under a black blazer jacket with cuffs and the school insignia on the left breast pocket, which was a golden Wedjet. The rest consisted of a matching plaid mini skirt, black dress socks, and brown loafers.

She possessed waist-length grey-white hair with unusual, but distinct yellow eyes with cross-shaped pupils that can seemingly change color from what Lelouch could tell. The fringe around her forehead was tied together with a rubber hair band to form a small ponytail.

Lelouch decided to adopt a more formal approach with the young woman, because if she were capable of forcefully bringing him into this world unaware, then it would be wise not to provoke her into a battle. It all happened in less than a second, so her magic must be powerful to have caught him so wholly off guard despite being alert the entire time he had been on the academy grounds.

"Thank you, but who are you?"

"My name is Yui Kurata."

* * *

A/N: Lelouch has met the first member of the Trinity Seven, Yui Kurata who is without question one of the most powerful of the Trinity Seven due to both the nature of her magic and the fact she is a Cardinal-class mage, with powerful magic that is only second to the academy's headmaster. What you saw her do with Lelouch is merely a sample of what she can do.

Of all the members of the harem, I was reluctant to include due to her being the youngest, even though she appears older now, but my reason for now including her is the same reason I don't typically use Kaguya. I hope only a two year age difference won't be too bad and nothing serious would happen between them until they are both a bit older at least, although I did consider increasing Yui's age by one or two years though. My final decision regarding her (pairing wise) will be dependent on reception among readers when the story reaches a certain point.

Next chapter more of the Trinity Seven will be introduced and if the end of this chapter hasn't proved it seems things aren't destined to go as smoothly as Lelouch might've been hoping they would. Yui is the strongest regarding magical power, but other members are quite formidable in their own way. Meanwhile, let's hope Arata and C.C. can keep a low profile for now, and now that he has discovered his thema he can begin learning to control his magic.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3 Dreams of Eternity

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and thanks to AnubisGundam0 for his beta work on the chapter. Now I will say this is my first time doing combat in this story due to how different some of the magic in Trinity Seven seems to work, but this will help me as a learning experience to build better battles down the line.

I have also gone back and did some editing and touch-ups on the previous chapters to catch any errors I might've missed, nothing that requires going back to re-read the whole story.

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Dreams of Eternity**

Lelouch and Yui regarded one another, but unlike the cautious former prince, the girl before him was as cheerful as her smile implied, even so, Lelouch remained guarded. Seeming to sense his unease and tension, Yui set her violin down on the bed before standing up to face the masked young man. The girl held up her hands in a non-threatening placating manner before saying.

"Oh relax, I'm not going to bite, but you were acting a bit weird outside, I was wondering if you were a new student who got lost on the school grounds."

Lelouch contemplated his response to that and concluded that he needn't tell her everything. The truth, after all, was but a matter of perspective. After all, lying was an art form, in which the best lies have hints of truth woven into it.

There was also the probability that Yui was aware that he wasn't a new student and was gauging his reaction.

"Not really, but I am interested in seeing the library," Lelouch said keeping his conversation vague, and particularly avoided mentioning the Eternal Library. It was tempting to try coaxing information from her, but the young man decided against that, concerned that he might end up revealing more than he intended. "I am looking for some information to help a friend of mine who has found himself in a tough spot beyond his control. If I do not find information that could help, I fear he may die as a result."

"How terrible! Although, it's not exactly my field of expertise. Why don't you ask the headmaster for help?" She suggested.

"I rather not involve a Paladin in this, and given my friend's situation, I'm concerned that members of 'Grimoire Security,' I believe they are called here, would become involved." Lelouch said as a counter-argument, although this part of their discussion would be perilous forcing Lelouch to navigate carefully, "besides Grimoire Security's usual method would only be a stopgap measure."

"Is his condition that serious?"

"In a way, which for those familiar with it would decide it would better to kill him. However, it's only a band-aid solution that merely delays the inevitable, what I'm looking for, is something a little more... permanent."

Yui placed one hand to her chin her expression thoughtful, "that's true, and Mira can be very dedicated and… can be quite ruthless in her line of work, so it's understandable if you are worried about that."

"Mira?"

"Mira Yamana is the Head of Grimoire Security," Yui explained happily, "but like me, she is also a member of the Trinity Seven. She is a user of the Superbia (Pride) Archive, her Thema is Justitia (Justice) who uses the Gehenna Scope magic that can analyze and reflect magic."

 _Interesting_ , Lelouch thought making a mental note of that so he could devise some plans to counter her magic should he encounter her.

"She must be powerful then?"

"Very. Although, as far as raw magical power goes I surpass her as a Cardinal Class mage, even so she is one of the most talented and skilled of the Trinity Seven."

"I see," Lelouch said before seizing the chance to steer the conversation away from his motivations and learn more about the individual he was dealing with, "so what is your Archive and Thema?"

"My Thema is Amicitia (Friendship) from the Avaritia (Greed) Archive. The magic I use is Arc Symphony that allows me to create, and manipulate a dream world, among other things including the power to bring whoever I want into it."

"I see. So this is your dream world then, and you invited me into it?" Lelouch said clearly impressed by her abilities, but at the same time, this made him cautious knowing that making an enemy of someone with her capabilities would be problematic to deal with. If he had time to prepare beforehand, as well as a better understanding of the mechanics of her magic, then he would've been more confident when confronting her should he ever have to.

"That's right, so judging by your mask and Magus Mode; I'd wager your Archive must be of the Luxuria (Lust) Archive, right?"

Lelouch was hesitant to answer, but if she had already identified what his Archive was, then maybe there wasn't any point in hiding it.

"Yes, it is." He finally admitted.

"Just like Miss Asami's archive."

"Miss Asami?"

"Yes. Lilith Asami is another member of Trinity Seven of the Luxuria Archive, and she is also a teacher here despite being the oldest of the group," Yui revealed.

"How old, if I may ask to gauge her experience and likely track record?"

"Seventeen," Yui replied.

 _If she is being employed as a teacher here, then her knowledge and understanding of magic and its different forms must be quite considerable._ Lelouch thought while making another mental note about Lilith should she become an obstacle he would have to overcome. Being a teacher of magic at her age was an impressive feat.

"Interesting, perhaps someday I'll meet her. However, I should probably go now since it's getting rather late. You don't need to worry though; I won't cause any trouble. Once I find the information I need – or rather I hope I do – that will be it."

"Are you sure it will work?"

"I have few options right now, but I won't know until I try them all, and maybe my search might produce an ideal solution," Lelouch replied.

"I see," Yui said before smirking as she asked one final question, "by the way I never got your name."

"I am…" Lelouch considered something he could use in place of his real name until, "Zero."

Yui tilled her head to one side seemingly confused and intrigued at the same time. "Zero, are you some kind of superhero?"

"Not quite, but close enough. Until next time, Miss Kurata."

"Please, just call me Yui; there is no need to be so formal."

"Very well, Yui, but would you mind not telling anyone you saw me?"

"No problem, so goodbye then."

With that Yui returned him from whence she had brought him into her dream world from. Once he was gone, however, her closet burst open to reveal a man who appeared to be in his thirties, he had been hiding inside the closet having overheard the entire exchange between Yui and Lelouch.

He was a tall and slender man with a pale complexion, and pale white hair to match tied into a long ponytail. He wore glasses over his red eyes and a black coat with matching pants and shoes. He wore a white dress shirt, but enough of the top buttons were undone to reveal the upper part of his chest.

"Well that was most interesting, but he's obliviously heading for the Eternal Library," Master Biblia commented arms folded over his chest.

"I'm not surprised; otherwise he wouldn't have been sneaking around so much with his friend."

"True and I am sure Zero realizes you probably suspect something since you didn't inquire further into what he was looking for." Master Biblia said before using one hand to adjust his glasses. "The girl with him matches the description of the one who was assigned to monitor her own cousin, who was identified as a Magic King candidate."

"Ah," Yui said putting her left upright fist into her right realizing, "so he's probably the friend who is in trouble."

"Yes, that much is clear. But who is this Zero, and what is his exact involvement in this? I sensed something intriguing about him. He isn't quite a Magic King candidate, but there was something unusual about his magic."

"You can notice something like that?"

"When you have been around as long as I've been, you have a way of measuring people's potential. That kid has a lot of it; he's easily a Cardinal-Class mage like you."

"He's that strong?" Yui said seemingly impressed.

"Without you, I wouldn't have noticed those two poking around so soon." The headmaster commented dusting off his right sleeve. "They did an excellent job at concealing their activities; I could sense the foreign magic of that girl's chaos runes being planted only because they disturbed sensory spell that I laid throughout the academy's grounds to alert me of such things."

"So what will you do?"

Master Biblia considered it for a moment allowing for Yui to build a feeling of anticipation before answering with a mischievous grin, "absolutely… nothing!"

"HUH!?"

The headmaster still grinning said, "But I'll still keep a close eye on our two friends and see how things develop."

* * *

After making a hasty withdrawal from the academy grounds, although Lelouch and Hijiri didn't speak a word, the young man made a silent alarming gesture that they needed to leave now upon the young man's return to the real world. Once the two were safely back inside their hotel room, Hijiri wanted to know what had happened to the former prince.

"Ok, start explaining. What happened to you?" The young girl insisted as Lelouch took off his mask.

"I was pulled into a dream world where I met one of the Trinity Seven, her name was Yui Kurata."

Hijiri grasped the gravity of the situation, mainly since the mage was able to snatch Lelouch into their dream world without the latter realizing it until it was too late.

"I didn't reveal anything critically important to her." He reassured Hijiri.

"I didn't think you would."

"She claims she won't tell anyone, whether or not that's the case our plan remains unchanged. We'll stay the course." Lelouch said with a determination burning in his eyes.

"But they'll most likely be waiting for us."

"I know," Lelouch said a devilish smile spread across his face, "but I have a plan."

* * *

The following day the students around Royal Biblia Academy were eating lunch, although a vast majority ate their meals in the school cafeteria, others ate their food outside or somewhere else that was more accommodating to their needs. This was especially true for one of the youngest teachers in the school who was roughly close to the same age as the students she taught.

Lilith Asami sat at one of the tables in the teacher's lounge eating a sandwich in one hand while reading a small book holding it with her free hand. The young seventeen-year-old woman was dressed in the standard school uniform, despite her post as a teacher. The only differences were that unlike some students she wore black thigh-high socks, replaced the bowtie with a necktie while leaving her white shirt untucked with the shirttails sticking out below the blazer. Her waist-length red hair made her easy to spot in a crowd, and she possessed light blue eyes and a fair skin complexion while wearing a black beret on her head.

She had returned early this morning from Osaka, having found no sign of the Magic King Candidate who had been confirmed to have been living there under observation. He had been determined to be the cause behind the breakdown phenomenon that had wiped out the entire city. She was among the mages dispatched to investigate, but no one had found any trace of him. She suspected that someone might've gotten to him first; so far according to information she had obtained upon her return to the academy, his whereabouts, and exact status was still unknown.

Lilith continued eating lunch quietly until the door to the lounge opened.

The first to walk in was a slender young woman who was a year younger than Lilith; she wore the standard student uniform like all female students. Like Lilith, she modified it with the use of a plaid ribbon tied in a cravat knot around her neck, but she wore black dress socks while the rest of her attire was the same as other female students. The girl was shorter than Lilith, being barely five feet tall, but her small statue concealed the considerable amount of magical power she possessed.

Mira Yamana possessed long blonde hair with it mostly short around her head with her bangs swept to the side with twin ahoges on top. A portion of her hair in the back was allowed to grow reaching all the way down to her legs with a red ribbon tied to the right side of her head. She possesses a fair skin complexion with pink eyes maintaining a stern and authoritative gaze.

Accompanying Mira, as she usually does, was the third seat of Grimoire Security and Mira's right-hand woman; Akio.

In ironic contrast to her superior, who was also older than she was eighteen years old, Akio Fudo stood at five feet and five inches towering over Mira who was both her junior and superior. She had a lightly tanned complexion due to where she lived as a child, but unlike the other students Akio wore a long sleeved button up shirt, but most of the buttons were left undone to expose both her modest bust and navel. She also wore a long dark skirt with slits along its length revealing both of her long legs to give her better freedom of movement for delivering powerful kicks which were a part of her combat style. Lastly, she wore a pair of dark slip-on shoes with a small red ribbon tied to several strands of her long waist length black hair. She possessed a cheerful expression with coffee-colored eyes.

"Hey! Welcome back Lilith," Akio greeted cheerfully with a big grin on her face.

"Good afternoon Akio, and good day to you too Mira."

"We've heard about your lack of success in finding the Magic King Candidate," Mira said, speaking in business-like tone and manner.

"Yes, but unfortunately I found no indication of where he might've vanished to, or what became of him."

"No one seems to know anything either," Mira pointed out having spoken to the other mages from their own Grimoire Security force, "However, the Breakdown Phenomenon in Osaka did cease, so either someone killed him, or someone else stopped it."

Mira wanted to believe it was the former instead of the latter, but given that mages from the other academies were still seeking out the one who caused the phenomenon created a feeling of doubt if the instigator was still alive or not.

"However," Mira began, "I was informed by the headmaster that there was a masked mage sneaking around the academy grounds last night."

"Huh," Lilith said with a look of surprise, but she quickly suspected, "could this mage be the same one I've been looking for?"

The blonde haired mage shook her head before answering, "No, there seems to be no indication of that, and besides, reports say that the Breakdown Phenomenon in Osaka happened because the Magic King candidate lost control of his magic."

"Then we're dealing with someone unrelated?" Akio offered.

Mira nodded in confirmation, "that's the most likely possibility given what we know so far."

"What's the plan?" Akio asked.

"We can assume the mage is likely seeking the Eternal Library, why else skulk around the school?" Mira answered.

"I assume this is also because of the fact he didn't attempt to gain entry into anywhere else within the academy." Lilith pointed out promoting a nod of confirmation from Mira.

"We'll position ourselves on the most likely routes he'll have to take and prepare to subdue him," Mira explained as she unrolled a map of the academy. "I doubt we'll be able to ambush him since we can assume he'll be on alert for a possible attack."

"Wait," Lilith said realizing something, "do you intend for me to help you?"

"Yes," Mira answered, "The headmaster believes the mage is a user of the Luxuria Archive. Your assistance in this matter will allow us to hopefully capture and interrogate him."

"I see, so I assume Levi will also be joining us?"

"No, because the headmaster has tasked her with a different assignment he required her to work on."

"I guess it will be just the three of us," Akio said reclining back in a nearby chair she picked as her seat.

Mira nodded her head in confirmation before adding, "And we'll be waiting for him."

* * *

Later that day as the sun began to set, a disguised Hijiri and Lelouch decided to go to a local cafe for dinner before their planned infiltration of Royal Biblia Academy to find the Eternal Library. If they were lucky, they would find something useful for the road that lay before them. Lelouch wasn't overly confident they would discover exactly what they were looking for, but any scrap of information that could be useful or even direct them to another location holding the information the duo desired would be the least they could hope for.

Lelouch sat down at a small table with Hijiri sitting across from him; both teens were browsing through the menu. Hijiri disguised her appearance with a simple brown wig, wearing black shades and a black coat. Given their close proximity to the Royal Biblia Academy, Lelouch advised against disguising herself with magic least it be detected in passing by the resident Cardinal class mage he ran into last night.

She removed her shades to avoid drawing suspicion.

"Once we're done, we'll need to leave town immediately." Lelouch reminded quietly.

"Yeah, even if we avoid detection we shouldn't linger here too long." Hijiri agreed.

"I agree," Lelouch concurred before growing silent as their waitress approached.

Ironically it was Mira, dressed in a black and white maid outfit with thigh-high white socks. She worked as a waitress at a part-time job for extra money alongside Akio as a part-time chef.

Mira could not have known that the mages she was preparing to hunt tonight were before her.

"Are you two ready to order?" Mira asked professionally.

"Yes," Lelouch began making his selection. Hijiri followed suit afterward, but she found her mind drifting to when she and Lelouch first met.

* * *

"Hey!?" A ten-year-old Arata shouted running to get some local schoolboys off of Lelouch after seeing him for the fourth time this week being under attack. "Leave him alone!"

She and Arata had walked together passed the corner store where they usually purchased candy from on their way home from school, but for the past week, they had noticed someone new, a young ten-year-old boy with black hair. Not long afterward they saw Lelouch being attacked by the local children for being Britannian, although they did nothing, it wasn't until that Arata decided to intervene much to Hijiri's worry.

"Arata what are you doing?!"

"Come on you guys, leave the kid alone. What are you guys getting out of it for beating up someone who can't fight back?" Arata asked in a somewhat casual way.

"Why not, he's a Britannia, and it's fun to beat up some brat from a country that thinks they are better than everyone," one of the bullies answered.

"You guys aren't really proving yourselves much better now are you?" Arata shot back much to their annoyance.

"Why you," one of the boys began balling his fists, but thankfully for Arata, someone else intervened.

"I agree with him!"

All eyes turned to see a young boy wearing a white kimono with a dark blue hakama with both arms folded across his chest. The boy had brown hair and green eyes.

"I may not like Britannians, but I don't like people who beat up those who can't fight back even more," Suzaku Kururugi declared.

The boys attempted to fight Suzaku but found that the ten-year-old who had been trained in martial arts was more than capable of handling them. It didn't take long, but after Suzaku dealt them the three boys ran away as Arata tried to offer his hand to Lelouch.

Lelouch, being stubborn ignored it; he was instead more concerned about the food he had bought which he had shielded with his own body.

"If you just accepted the food we offered and didn't keep trying to go shopping for yourself this wouldn't happen," Suzaku snapped.

"I am going to live on my own and not rely on anyone," Lelouch replied angrily.

"A thank you would be nice," Arata said trying to calm the tension between the two.

* * *

Returning to the present it didn't take long for Mira to serve them their food, and the two ate in silence since it was risky to talk about their plans in the open. Still, that didn't mean that the two didn't find something to talk about, because eating in silence could've been seen as suspicious if the wrong people were around.

"So Lelouch, have you been seeing anyone?" Hijiri asked looking for a topic unrelated to their plans for tonight.

"Not currently," Lelouch answered, but like Hijiri he noticed the magical energy they felt from their waitress. Either they were somehow on to them, or they were students from the academy working part-time jobs as well.

Given the fact that their food didn't seem drugged or anything, Lelouch was inclined towards the latter.

"Anyone interests you," Hijiri asked.

"Not really, this is because you have seen how some of the girls have eyed me. They like me more for my looks than for who I am," Lelouch answered, which was correct and there was the fact he dedicated most of his free time either to gambling against conceited nobles, learning more about magic and taking care of his sister.

None of them were interested in knowing the real Lelouch. Of course, that couldn't really be helped due to the need to keep his identity a secret.

"You'll hear no disagreement from me," Hijiri said before joking with a smile after Mira walked away and was out of earshot. "Unless… you've developed a sudden preference for maids? What can I do for you, master? Hee Hee."

Lelouch merely raised an eyebrow, but interpreted Hijiri's mischievous smile as a sign that she was joking with him, "very funny."

In response to Hijiri's giggling, Lelouch felt it was only fair to return the favor.

"If I did, would you dress up as a maid?" He suggested playfully.

"H-huh, what?!" Hijiri looked up from her food at him in shock. 'Was he really into that type of thing?' She wondered.

"Just kidding. I wouldn't make you do that," Lelouch replied with a grin, not noticing her blush as she pouted.

* * *

Later that night, past midnight, Lelouch and Hijiri returned to the academy well prepared. Lelouch was dressed in his mask and cape while Hijiri wore a black hooded cloak and a black mask to hide her identity. Taking into account the possibility they were likely expected, Lelouch had taken some time after the meal they had to make some additional preparations as a further precaution. Thanks to Hijiri's chaos runes placed around the academy grounds the previous night, the two managed to navigate their way to a rear entrance where Lelouch used a skeleton key he had fashioned before picking the lock.

"Where did you learn how to pick locks?"

"Oh you know; books, the internet and..." Lelouch replied before he successfully picked the lock. "Lots of practice."

The pair slipped inside, while mindful to quietly close the door behind them, as they passed through what appeared to be a storeroom for deliveries until they were distributed to where they needed to go.

The duo didn't linger long and kept moving while avoiding any direct paths to the library expecting the possibility of encountering any patrols. After Lelouch's previous encounter with Yui, there was a possibility of heightened security. Hijiri was monitoring the building with her chaos runes in combination with her Analysis Thema to scan for any hostiles that could be waiting for them.

"Lelouch," Hijiri whispered with a grave expression, "three mages are standing guard; two outside the library, one inside."

"They're waiting for us," Lelouch concluded, just as quietly, prompting Hijiri to nod. "We knew this was to be expected, but I'm sure they are probably expecting us to attempt to sneak around them or something else."

"Then are you are going to unleash it?"

"Yes," Lelouch replied with a determined expression, "we have little choice."

* * *

Near the entrance of the library, both Mira and Akio were patrolling the halls that led directly to the library while Lilith was waiting inside the library itself. They had prepared for a long night ahead of them, but so far there had been no sign of anyone attempting to break in. Everything was quiet… until Mira sensed something in the hallways approaching the library.

"Akio, I think our intruder is here," Mira said reading her Grimoire; Book of the Mirrored Lands assuming the form of a pink crystal ball she held in one hand.

The two members of Grimoire Security hurried to the source, although it was faint it was just enough for them to notice it. Upon reaching the hallway in question, it appeared to be deserted at first, but Mira was sure someone was here.

"White Universe," Mira declared unleashing a devastating wave of magic down the hall, but suddenly a cloak that had camouflaged the Black Knight was thrown off revealing Lelouch's the armored clad creation.

Much to the shock of both Mira and Akio, they watched as the Black Knight emitting an aura of darkness consumed her magic.

"I am hardly surprised by this greeting," Lelouch said speaking through the Black Knight designed to act as a puppet that he could not only control but serve as his eyes, ears and even his voice as part of a deception to fool enemies into thinking the Black Knight was him.

As a precaution Lelouch was using the control device he fashioned for the Black Knight to include a voice-modulating device adding a deep electronic echo to help disguise his voice.

"Breaking into an academy such as ours is a serious crime," Mira replied sternly.

"My apologies," Lelouch replied as the Black Knight made an elegant bow, "My intention is only to peruse your library, I am hopeful the one you have here could help solve a problem while also saving the world."

"What problem?" Mira demanded.

"The Magic King, or rather; the Demon King destroying the world," Lelouch answered.

"Just kill the candidates," Mira answered without a second thought, "it's the most effective way."

"And that is why I chose to break in," Lelouch retorted, "your solution is shortsighted and temporary. You kill a candidate, but it fails to eliminate the problem at the root and inevitably no matter how many you kill, a candidate will eventually become a Magic King that will destroy humanity. Now if you want to actually help me then stand aside..."

The Black Knight assumed a fighting stance.

"Or do negotiations break down here?"

There was a tense standoff for a full minute before Akio made the first move. She reasoned that if magic didn't work, then she thought something more physical would do the trick. Unfortunately, the Black Knight anticipated this and responded with a skillful dodge of Akio's magically charged roundhouse kick. The Black Knight counterattacked by manifesting a long sword in one hand and a machine gun in the other. After swinging its sword to drive Akio back, the armored golem emptied an entire magazine in Mira's direction.

Mira raised a barrier just in time, but the numerous impacts from the bullets upon her shield nearly overwhelmed it. She quickly channeled more magic into her barrier having used her Grimoire to determine the true nature of the bullets being shot at her. Before her barrier could fail, Mira quickly layered additional magical shields behind the first to weather further attacks.

 _Our information was spot on_ , Mira thought. _This Mage is indeed a user of the Luxuria Archive, those bullets, and even that gun was created using alchemy. Just like Lilith_ _sensei's_ _._

The bullets fired from the machine gun the Black Knight was using appeared at first glance to be a mundane weapon, but the bullets themselves were designed to siphon any magic they encountered making them useful for fighting mages.

There was another problem; Mira realized that battling in such an enclosed space created a bottleneck giving the Black Knight an advantage with its firearm. Akio realizing this used a powerful punch to collapse the floor. Upon realizing her intent, the Black Knight began to backpedal, but it had little time to escape as Akio was also striking the floor from the level below trying to create an opening. Unable to fight back properly without a chance to maintain a proper balance while worrying about retaliation from Mira, the Black Knight threw itself out the nearest window in what appeared to be an attempt to escape.

Mira used another window to join Akio on the ground outside as they gave chase to the Black Knight, but little did they realize this was all part of Lelouch's plan all along. The Black Knight would lure them away and keep them occupied while he and Hijiri searched the Eternal Library.

* * *

Lelouch took a deep breath after switching off his microphone on his control headset he was wearing.

"Ok, that did it, the path is clear." He told Hijiri.

When Lelouch created the Black Knight, he also created a means of controlling the alchemically created construct for ease of use, although it was mostly autonomous, Lelouch could direct its actions using a control glove he wore on his left hand which he based on those old retro gaming gloves. The headset had a similar style to it being a video game headset with a microphone and headphones, while a transparent visor that ran across Lelouch's eyes allowing him to see what the Black Knight saw.

He was still monitoring everything that was going on as he could hear the sounds of battle through his headset, so if any further dialog was spoken Lelouch could switch on the microphone to utter a quick response to maintain appearances.

"By the way," Lelouch began, "You're not going to believe this?"

"What?"

"One of them is the maid from that café earlier."

"You're kidding! What're the odds we'd run into her again so soon."

"Well, just the same we need to hurry. I don't know how long my Black Knight can keep them occupied, so we'll need to get in and get out. The sooner we finish, the better," Lelouch said as he and Hijiri began making their way to the library.

Luckily for them, they didn't have to worry about Lilith, whom upon hearing the destruction of the walls and floors outside the library had hurried out to provide assistance to Mira and Akio.

Once Lilith had vanished from sight, Hijiri and Lelouch managed to traverse past the various holes in the floor to reach the library, but from there it was merely a question how to get inside the Eternal Library.

"Do you know how we're supposed to get in?" Lelouch asked Hijiri, but before she could answer there was a flash of light that erupted from the heart of the library as some kind of unseen power pulled them in.

When the light died down finally, they found themselves in a new location, although it wasn't any kind of library they knew. Hijiri and Lelouch were surrounded by ancient dilapidated ruins indicating perhaps they were at the Eternal Library. Yet it was also clear that time wasn't so kind to the famed library, which would frustratingly mean their efforts were for nothing.

"This is it," Lelouch said not hiding his disappointment and frustration.

"Well," Hijiri was about to answer when another voice interrupted them.

"No, I assure you this is the Eternal Library. It doesn't look like much, but there is still valuable information here."

Lelouch and Hijiri turned their attention to see a young woman who was the same age as they were. Standing at five feet tall, she possessed a fair skin complexion with purple eyes and long blonde hair styled into a pair of long pigtails. Her attire, on the other hand, left little to the imagination, Lelouch made a mental note that this woman was likely someone who apparently wasn't afraid to make use of their own sex appeal as a weapon. The girl wore a revealing outfit consisting of a dark choker, matching opera gloves and a cape-like gown held together by two strings around her neck that mostly covers her ample bosom. Completing her outfit was a pair of black mini shorts with a brown belt and black stockings with thigh-high boots.

Both Hijiri and Lelouch assumed defensive postures, uncertain of what to expect.

"Who are you!?" Lelouch demanded.

"My name is Lieselotte Sherlock, formerly of Grimoire Security," Lieselotte replied followed up with a cute wink.

Lelouch and Hijiri didn't lower their guard, but Lieselotte raised her hands up in a non-threateningly placating gesture.

"Now, now, no need for hostilities here," Lieselotte offered cheerfully, "I'm not interested in fighting you two, but I am most curious about why you went through all the trouble to come here?"

"Obviously you are a rogue mage, especially given how you mentioned you were formerly of Grimoire Security," Lelouch pointed out. "From there it's apparent that you aren't here for some leisurely reading. Which means you probably have something planned for us, since us leaving puts you at risk if anyone else found out you're here."

Lieselotte nodded her head placing both hands on her hips.

"That's true," Lieselotte admitted, "you're a clever one, I like that."

Lieselotte took a few steps forward, although Lelouch and Hijiri maintained their guard Lieselotte raised her hands once more.

"I'm apparently someone you shouldn't trust," Lieselotte offered in agreement. "But consider your own situation. I've been observing your actions up till now, and I have to admit using that construct to distract Mira, Lilith Sensei and Akio Sempai was a good idea, but what will you do now?"

"You're implying about the time limit we are facing," Hijiri replied prompting a nod of confirmation from Lieselotte.

"Yes! And whatever you're looking for, do you think you would have ample time to find it? However…, I, on the other hand, have been here for about six months or so."

"You want to cut a deal?"

Lieselotte nodded.

"I have indulged in many of the tomes this place has to offer, and I could easily provide those that could be of help to you."

"In exchange for what?" Hijiri asked immediately suspicious about her ulterior motive.

The girl actually took a moment to ponder this.

"Well," Lieselotte began as her eyes began wandering up and down Lelouch's body indicating a clear interest, "you're quite interesting Mr. Masked Mage, given that creation of yours."

Being eyed by a young woman wasn't anything new for Lelouch, as he had typically experienced this during his time at Ashford Academy. The girls at the academy usually eyed him for his looks, but the fact that someone like Lieselotte whom Lelouch was convinced was the type willing to do whatever it took, only put him on edge.

"On the other hand, I wonder who your companion is," Lieselotte asked suddenly shifting her attention to Hijiri. "Placing not only those runes around the academy, but also using Analysis to map out not only the academy grounds. But to also tracking the movements of all the other mages here. I've heard of very few mages that can use multiple Themas. Furthermore, given the timeline of events and your exchange with Mira, I think I can guess who one of you is."

Hijiri felt nervous under her mask, but she suppressed the urge to say anything let alone provide any kind of indication that Lieselotte was correct in her assumption.

"Is this some kind of attempt at blackmail?" Lelouch asked neutrally, but he had a dubious feeling where this was heading.

"Not really," Lieselotte replied with a casual shrug of her shoulder and a shake of her head, "I had almost thought to suggest something else, but given how you can't seem to relax around me - a wise move on your part - it makes it a little difficult for me to offer you anything."

The young woman smiled seductively at Lelouch, which was enough of a hint to the young man to comprehend what Lieselotte was implying.

"So, how about I offer you something else to prove myself worthy of your trust, and to make things easier for you?" Lieselotte offered.

"And what would that be?" Hijiri asked irritably while resisting the urge to attack the flirty blonde mage.

"Well," Lieselotte replied before a pink ring of binary code appeared by her arm opening a portal, "for one thing I can reveal a stalker who has been tailing you."

Reaching her hand through the small portal, Lieselotte unleashed a blast of energy from her hand that shot through the portal and out the other side causing an explosion behind a partially collapsed wall. A second later a short young woman leaped out from her concealment. Though a year older than Lelouch, of four feet and eight inches tall wearing the standard uniform for female students of the academy minus the jacket, replaced with a sleeveless vest version. She also wore a long white scarf with tassels around her neck, a black sock over her right calve and a matching leg warmer that covers up to her thigh held in place by two leg bands. Her long brown hair was tied back into a high-ponytail with a shuriken-style hairpin holding it in place while some of her hair covered her left eye while her right blue eye could still be seen.

"It's been awhile Levi," Lieselotte cheerfully greeted her former classmate.

"Well, I think I know why the Headmaster had me tail these two, which was to smoke you out Lieselotte," Levi said after escaping Lieselotte's surprise attack she landed close to Lelouch and Hijiri in a graceful crouch.

"Where the heck was she," Hijiri asked clearly confused because she hadn't detected her presence.

"Levi is a master at stealth, infiltration, and assassination, in other words, a ninja." Lieselotte started to explain, "Trust me; I served with her as a member of Grimoire Security. As a member of the Trinity Seven representing the Invidia (Envy) Archive, she is probably the fourth or the third strongest mage in the world with more kills under her belt than Mira because of her assassination missions."

"That really wasn't nice Lieselotte," Levi replied with a somewhat casual tone with no anger whatsoever.

"She was probably already hiding in the library soon after these two first began their infiltration of the academy. She's also a battle magus who maintains her magic expenditure at a near constant zero, which is how she slipped past your chaos runes without detection." Lieselotte pointed out to Hijiri who was trying to grasp how she avoided detection. "Besides Levi, you gave me a good chance to act in good faith before I could make them any kind of deal."

"I see," Lelouch said calmly as he realized Levi's purpose, "your purpose wasn't to stop us. You were going to ambush us as we exited the Eternal Library?"

"Nah," Levi replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I was going to follow you and find out why you two are going through all this trouble to break into the forbidden Eternal Library. I don't have orders to kill either of you, but merely to identify both who you were and your objectives."

"You expect me to believe that you weren't going to assassinate us for the break-in, especially given how seemingly murder happy that your security force is," Lelouch said, although he kept a good game face he realized they were in a precarious position.

"We can talk more after I punish Lieselotte for being a naughty girl," Levi replied drawing her katana with one hand, and a scroll with another.

"Come on, you know I was born naughty," Lieselotte commented with a suggestive poise.

No matter the outcome the chances of them escaping the academy was now low because they no longer had time to search the library and fight another mage at the same time. Not to mention to do so would divide his attention away from monitoring the Black Knight's situation, especially since its battle with Mira, Akio, and Lilith was currently locked into a stalemate. If they escaped, then he and Hijiri would be pursued by the academy, especially if Lieselotte knew who Hijiri was. Of course, killing Lieselotte was an option, but then they would have to deal with Levi as well, and if her skills were anywhere as formidable as Lieselotte's claims then it wasn't a question of 'if they could succeed,' it was the pressing question of 'could they still escape?'

Regardless of their skills, any battle would take time to conclude, and while Lelouch had no idea what kind of abilities Lieselotte possessed, and even though, she revealed Levi's presence to him that wasn't enough to fully convince Lelouch that Lieselotte was an ally either. The fact she was willing to betray her classmates and her former Grimoire Security co-workers further cast down on Lelouch's ability to trust her.

 _No matter how I look at it, there is no way out_ , Lelouch realizing the dire situation before him.

Taking advantage of Lieselotte's guard being down, Levi made the first move and hurled a kunai at her former classmate. A fight between the two mages quickly erupted between them as Lieselotte began tapping into the magic of her archive Acedia (Sloth). What happened next seemed to be a battle of speed between the two as they were both moving fast, but Lieselotte was moving much quicker to the point she was seemingly teleporting from one place to another.

Levi countered Lieselotte's movements by using Shinpuu Shourai (Rise of the Divine Wind), by holding a scroll between her teeth, Levi surrounded herself with a gust of wind forming a small tornado. Lieselotte knew what was coming, so she kept her distance, which was wise as several copies of Levi merged from the gusts of wind moving to attack Lieselotte from different angles. Levi's Ninja Technique: Illusion Conceal created several copies of the ninja, but because none of them were real they served only as a diversionary tactic to keep an enemy from noticing the real Levi position herself in a more convenient position for a sneak attack.

"I didn't just spend all my time here reading books here Levi," Lieselotte remarked as black wings of magical particles erupted from her back.

Lelouch, Levi, and Hijiri realized those wings meant that Lieselotte must've found a Magic King Element within the Eternal Library, and absorbed it into her body becoming a Magic King Candidate and gained increased magical power along with it. With her power boost now active, Lieselotte began creating four blob-like creatures that moved to bar the path of the oncoming Levi clones. They were creatures capable of devouring a foe's magic, and they would consume Levi's clones, but the real Levi nearly beheaded Lieselotte.

Lieselotte narrowly dodged her attack, but part of her wing was sliced off.

Observing the escalating confrontation between the two mages, Lelouch and Hijiri kept their distance.

"You shouldn't trust the blonde woman," Merlin spoke as Lelouch's Grimoire glowed faintly.

"I know that," Lelouch replied.

"Her magic is Logos Art, from the Acedia archive that allows her to manipulate time and space to a degree. However, being that it's under the Thema Stagna (Stagnation) she has the means of stealing someone's magic and making it their own," Merlin warned.

"Could that be why she forced us here?" Hijiri asked. "To steal our magic for her own?"

"Most likely," Merlin answered. "Given her actions and willingness to violate taboos."

"I see," Lelouch said as he contemplated this new information.

All in all, it made their overall chances of escape seem increasingly impossible, although Lelouch had a plan; he needed a big distraction for it to work.

"Watch out," Hijiri cried out as she shoved Lelouch to the side to escape Lieselotte's hand that had tried to grab Lelouch through a small portal that had opened behind him.

She had saved Lelouch from potentially having his magic stolen, but in turn, Lieselotte grabbed Hijiri's hood pulling it back and tearing it off which caused her mask to fall off revealing her face. Now her true identity was exposed.

"Hijiri Kasuga," Lieselotte said revealing her real name as well, "mind helping me out, or should I reveal that your that your cousin Arata, is the Magic King Candidate who destroyed a city recently!"

 _That!?_ Lelouch thought while his anger almost boiled over, in that instant before suppressing it, _She's blackmailing us into helping her._

"Lelouch," Hijiri said, but her voice was cold and determined, "stay close to me."

"Huh!?"

"I might have something to turn things around," Hijiri answered.

Before Lelouch could inquire further a surge of magical power erupted from Hijiri's body that blinded Lelouch, his mask weathered the worst of the light. The former prince was almost knocked off his feet by the explosive surge of power, but thankfully he managed to stand his ground. During the moments Lelouch was blinded he heard Hijiri cry out in pain, but when Lelouch regained use of his eyes, he was greeted with an unexpected sight.

When the smoke and light had cleared after Hijiri's sudden transformation, her appearance went through some changes. Hijiri's skin was paler than before with a crack-like mark upon her right cheek while her hands transform into large demonic-like hands with claws. Her hair was now a pale blue, which had grown to her shoulders and the pupils of her eyes became long and vertical slits, resembling those of a cat.

Hijiri's clothing had also changed as well, now wearing a gold and black tiara, a long black strapless black dress trimmed with gold, worn under a shoulder-less cape held together by a gold and jeweled brooch attached to a metallic choker, and a pair of dark slipper shoes.

The one person more surprised by any of this was Hijiri as she examined one of her demon-like claws.

"I see, so that's was the reason I felt different after you saved me."

"What?" Lelouch asked trying to understand what Hijiri was implying.

"When you saved me from being from that Breakdown Phenomenon, I felt different somehow, and I think I understand now that I brought something back with me," Hijiri answered as she came to a realization about the cause and how she gained her new powers. "Wherever I was going there must've been a Magic King Element there, and my body somehow absorbed it as you pulled me back. Having already mastered three Thema, I already qualify as a 'Trinity.' I am now able to use this high-level transformation that surpasses Magus Mode using the Magic King Element. I suppose in this form I have become the Magic King of the Ruined World, and these are the manifested robes of the Archive 'Ira.' This is my Satan form."

Both Levi and Lieselotte were stunned by this revelation. However, Lieselotte was more intrigued by how the masked mage might've saved her from being disintegrated by a Breakdown Phenomenon, which by all accounts should be impossible. So unless Hijiri was lying, or her masked companion had somehow done the impossible leading to Hijiri obtaining her own Magic King Element in the process. With the evidence presented before her, Lieselotte conceded that despite the impossibility of it, Hijiri's companion was the key to this miracle event and warranted further investigation.

Lieselotte grinned deviously at the prospect, which put Lelouch and Hijiri on guard.

Without wasting a moment and knowing his plan was possible, Lelouch used alchemy as his Grimoire transformed into a weapon resembling a hybrid between a bazooka and an antitank rifle that Lelouch could carry around more easily. Hijiri raised three magic squares as shields around both her and Lelouch as part of her dual spell (Vegtamskvida and Baldr's Dreams); only their attacks could pass through while nothing could get through her barriers.

"Your attempt to blackmail Hijiri and exposing her has removed any possibility of cutting a deal," Lelouch said a deadly certainly within his tone.

"Now, now, we can still work together here," Lieselotte offered, but Levi seized this chance to attack her.

"That has always been your problem," Levi said as Lieselotte dodged her kunai knife, "you were always highly ambitious and intelligent, but you're always lost patience, so you take the easiest shortcuts to get to where you want to go."

"But it works doesn't it?"

"In this case, I have to say no," Levi replied as she dodged a counterattack from Lieselotte, but this time a vengeful Hijiri joined Levi's efforts to defeat Lieselotte as she fired a black beam of energy from one of her magic squares that doubled as a shield.

Lelouch joined their efforts by shooting black crystal-like projectiles from his alchemically made gun in an attempt to hit Lieselotte as he tried to predict her movements using her short range teleportation. Despite failing to hit her, Lieselotte was now on the defensive because she had two more opponents to worry about; forcing her to be more mindful of their attacks, especially since her three opponents were purposely trying to time their attacks between the other's to give Lieselotte little chance to counterattack. Hijiri's attack, Black Azazel, was more worrying than Levi and Lelouch's assaults because if she weren't careful, the spell would consume her if she was hit by it as it could cover a wider area than any of her other opponent's attacks.

The one whom Lieselotte was least concerned about was Lelouch who didn't seem to come close to hitting her.

Still, Lieselotte's curiosity about Hijiri's companion only grew given the feat he had accomplished, but she had to do something about Levi and Hijiri first.

 _Maybe I can create an opening, but getting through that barrier to Hijiri's friend might be a problem_ , Lieselotte thought.

Of course, Levi's attacks only complicated matters, because she knew if she got careless around her, then she'll likely lose her head.

With his grin concealed by his mask, Lelouch fired a larger crystal that missed Lieselotte and embedded itself into the center of the ruins where they were fighting.

"You can't hit the broadside of a barn can you?" Lieselotte mocked.

"Dodge this," Hijiri replied as Lelouch placed a hand on her shoulder channeling some of his magic into her to enable her to make use of the crystals Lelouch had purposely scattered around the ruins.

Using another Black Azazel to attack, Hijiri struck the largest of the crystals which scattered her beam outward multiple directions before hitting the other crystals and quickly repeating creating a web of the magical energy around them with Hijiri and Lelouch standing in one of the few safe zones thanks to Hijiri's defenses. Over a dozen explosions from the various beams impacting different areas of the ruins at once obscuring the entire area with dust and smoke, but it left the condition of Levi and Lieselotte unknown until it cleared.

Lelouch's intent hadn't been to hit Lieselotte, although he did take some shots of opportunity at her during the skirmish. Neither Hijiri nor Lelouch would be shocked if their combined attack had obliterated the ruins.

When the smoke cleared, the two saw no sign of neither Levi nor Lieselotte, but Hijiri was unwilling to lower her barrier until she found a corpse. Lelouch was already trying to determine how they might escape the Eternal Library with the aid of his Grimoire, Merlin because they knew they had already spent too much time here and had to flee immediately.

"Merlin, is there a way out of this place?" Lelouch asked consulting his tome.

"We may be able to reverse the magic she used to bring us here," Merlin answered. "We should hurry because I know your creation is beginning to lose its fight against those three mages."

Lelouch was aware that his Black Knight was beginning to falter in its battle against Mira, Akio, and Lilith.

Hijiri reluctantly lowered her shields allowing Lelouch to work better with Merlin to find a way out. Although her new Satan form had given her considerable power and potential new abilities, Hijiri had little experience with the form considering this was her first time using it. Unfortunately, as her shields came down, Lelouch was punched in the stomach by Lieselotte who suddenly appeared in front of him, seemingly unharmed by Lelouch and Hijiri's combination attack.

However, upon closer inspection, there were holes in her black cape that flowed below her waist indicating just how close Lieselotte had come to being hit by the attack.

"That was a very clever plan, too bad my Logo Arts allows me to manipulate time enabling me to dodge it, but if it's any consolation, that _almost_ got me," Lieselotte complimented them before using her magic to teleport both herself and Lelouch to another corner of the ruins before Hijiri could intervene.

During the teleport, Lelouch quickly transformed Merlin into a handgun, but when Lelouch tried to shoot Lieselotte, she swiftly seized Lelouch's gun hand at the moment he pulled the trigger causing him to shoot apart his own mask while avoiding hurting him.

Before Lelouch could recover, despite his mind momentarily panicked over his identity being revealed, Lieselotte pinned Lelouch to a stone pillar before using the shock of his back impacting the pillar to press her lips against his before slipping her tongue into his mouth forcefully kissing him. Lelouch, due to his poor physical shape, couldn't fend off Lieselotte who was apparently his physical superior as she effortlessly overpowered him.

To steal someone's magic Lieselotte had to make physical contact, although skin contact is usually enough since Lelouch had protected his entire body with his Magus Mode, her only option was to kiss him. Furthermore, since Lelouch's lack in physical ability made it even more ideal for Lieselotte who was easily able to pin him to the stone pillar using a combination of both her own superior strength and the weight of her own body to keep him pinned.

Unfortunately, that was when everything went wrong, and something within Lelouch _resisted_ her.

A single black wing erupted from his back as his eyes began glowing again, seemingly in response to the attempted theft of his magic.

Hijiri was about to intervene, but the surge of magical energy from Lelouch was pushing her back. However, she quickly realized it was intended to repel Lieselotte who kept trying to maintain physical contact in order to continue stealing his magic. Yet no matter how hard Lieselotte tried, she was pushed away by Lelouch's power causing her to land several feet away.

As Lieselotte was trying to comprehend how her ability to steal the magic of others was repelled, a furious and very vengeful Lelouch made the most of the moment he had access to this power. The same power that allowed him to save Hijiri, used in conjunction with some of the materials and tools Lelouch had brought with him beforehand to craft a new construct similar to the Black Knight. Lelouch had brought along everything he had needed should he find himself in a situation where creating a new construct would be necessary. Usually whatever he would've created under these circumstances wouldn't have matched the quality of the Black Knight.

However, with the power he had unknowingly tapped into now suddenly came in handy, Lelouch momentarily wondered if he could create something more formidable to help them.

Not knowing how long he would be able to draw on it, Lelouch quickly executed his Thema and slammed both palms into the ground. A magic circle appeared in front of him as his tools, fueled by his magic, began to quickly assemble a new golem made from the surrounding stone of the ruins to swiftly craft a large humanoid form and filling its hollow chest with magical energy core to animate it.

Lieselotte watched in awe as Lelouch speedily crafted and brought his newly created stone golem to life, but that awe turned to worry when it opened up its chest cavity to unleash a destructive blast of dark magical energy. Lieselotte dodged it, but her face paled as her magic allowed her to analyze the nature of the energy fired at her.

Lelouch missed, but Lieselotte knew that he was becoming an increasingly dangerous opponent, coupled with the fact that she couldn't steal his magic.

"You really have mastered the Luxuria Achieve," Lieselotte noted as the blood drained from her face, "if that had hit me I wouldn't have just been disintegrated, but that would've destroyed my soul as well."

"My Archive is Luxuria, but my Themas are Vanitas (Death and Annihilation or Nothingness), Terminus (Elemental Conductor or Terminal), Abies (Creation), and Fall (Decomposition)," Lelouch replied. "I have surpassed the Trinity."

 _If that beam had hit me, not only would my body be vaporized, but my soul as well. Those Thema he has mastered not only make him a gifted alchemist, but he could manipulate and control spiritual energy, as well as outright, annihilate it_ , Lieselotte thought gaining a better grasp at how Lelouch created the Black Knight or rather the basics behind it.

He used Outer Alchemy to forge the body and then using Terminus melded the spirits into it to animate the armor, which was similar to how he created his so-called rush job, a task that was quickened by Lelouch use of his new power that awoke. Lieselotte decided to dub it as a Soul Destroyer, its power was owed to Lelouch granting it the means of destroying the body and soul of its victims through Vanitas and Terminus Thema.

"I see," Lieselotte said calmly, but she was forced to evade a retaliatory attack from Hijiri who had seemingly just teleported to her own location, a feat that surprised Hijiri as well.

Lieselotte realized she was at a tactical disadvantage despite having the speed and evasion advantage, but not being able to understand Lelouch's magic thoroughly especially as his single wing and eyes didn't match any condition associated with those possessing a Magic King Element. The fact using that power he was able to save someone from disintegration only added a dangerous complication, which added more unknown variables to the battle Lieselotte had no way to consider.

"I'll concede to you the tactical victory, but this isn't the last time we'll see each other," Lieselotte replied before she used her magic to expel Lelouch and Hijiri from the Eternal Library before the group reappeared in academy's library.

"We're back," Hijiri said realizing where they were.

"Yes, and we need to run!" Lelouch said as he and Hijiri followed by Lelouch's new creation. However, they were stopped at the door by the headmaster with both arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile as he eyed Lelouch's Soul Destroyer.

"I take it you kids had a fun night?" Master Biblia offered, although the situation was bad Lelouch had been hopeful until now as he and Hijiri realized they weren't the only ones ejected from the Eternal Library.

In spite of using the chaos of Lelouch's combination attack with Hijiri to hide, Levi was still ejected by Lieselotte, and she chose this moment to make her presence known as she appeared behind the three with a smile while waving at the two.

"I highly doubt you two are going to escaping my academy," Master Biblia said with a devious smile.

* * *

A/N: that's it and after Lelouch's efforts to enter the Eternal Library goes horribly wrong, and it looks like it might get worse. Still from there on out the story and other events shall be put into motion, and part of the reason I waited so long to update was to see where the story of Trinity Seven was going. In both the light novels and the manga to have a better grasp of what the end game might be and how I could adapt it into the story.

I had a general idea, but it needed something more, and I might have it now.

Also for those who were uncertain about some of my harem choices for Lelouch, I posted a curiosity poll on my profile to chose up to five options for consideration, and I tried to get an even ten in there among the Trinity Seven female cast. I am still understandably doubtful about pairing Yui with anyone. I added her to the poll to make it an even ten candidate list. I might do one with Code Geass characters later, but even so, it's going to be awhile before the harem actually happens until after Lelouch and Hijiri become a couple.

However for Lelouch's harem, aside from Hijiri, I am certain of including Levi while others I am not wholly confident they could mesh well-considering events to come and etc. Not saying I am doing the poll because I am indecisive, but I am curious about people's opinions about which of the Trinity Seven characters could mesh well with Lelouch in a harem. I am also leaving the full line up undecided because I do feel specific events could affect compatibility to keep a level of flexibility to better work with the plot of the story.

I hope the battles in this fic were alright and I'll be looking to improve, although more physical combat mages like Levi are more comfortable to write with while some were a little more tricky to work with.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I thank you in advance for your review and see you all next chapter.


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